Hilton Pattaya Lobby

It can sometimes be hard to find any examples of excellent modern Thai architectural design. While there are many talented new architects and designers working in Thailand, their work often tends to get obscured, and common perceptions of visitors to Thailand about Thai architecture reflect this.

Visitors to Thailand want culture, dining, shopping and night life in Bangkok. In other places they want beaches, temples, forests and night life. Coming to Thailand with this mindset means you equate the best of Thai architecture with the spectacle of religious or state buildings such as Wat Pho or the Grand Palace. Or perhaps people embrace the modernity of steel, glass and height found in the skyscrapers around Silom near Patpong. These skyscrapers show very little that is Thai - they could just as well be placed in Hong Kong or London.

The Department of Architecture (http://www.departmentofarchitecture.co.th/) is attempting to address these perceptions. They are an exciting architectural firm that has several hotel, restaurant and private villa projects under their belt. They bring a playful and eye-catching attention to detail in their work to make spaces really capture the imagination.

In the Pattaya Hilton the main lobby is on the 16th floor. It is a long space with a stunning ceiling hanging that is repeated on the next floor up in the Drift Bar. The ceilings in these spaces have folded fabric hanging down. The lines flow along the ceiling enticing visitors to travel along the space to the sea views at the floor to ceiling windows. The lines undulate like waves bringing an organic irregularity to counterpoise the hard lines and formality of the hotel lobby setting. The muted tones of the ceiling are reflected in the carpet and colour of the furniture.

In the Caribbean Drift Bar upstairs the same ceiling motif is repeated. This time the ceiling waves don't travel the length of the room but the width, leading visitors to the outside seating and views. The same colour scheme as with the lobby is repeated.

The architectural quality of this Pattaya hotel has no doubt contributed to the success of the luxury hotel and hopefully gone some way to changing perceptions of modern Thai architecture

Unusual Hotels in Thailand

The Good

CC’s Hideaway in Phuket is a 4 star hotel with a unique design. The architect has made something more than just a rectangular accommodation block with a pool in the grounds. Instead the effect is open space. The yellow building has a series of open holes inviting light in at the front. At the back only the bare bones have been kept so that there is a seamless cross over from inside to outside. Most impressive is the massive curved awning on top of the building. This large space has a wooden floor and serves as a viewing deck for the ocean as well as a place to do yoga. Rooms feature original art work and the restaurant and bar both have a strong colour motif. This is not the final word in luxury but it is a pleasure to stay at CC’s Hideaway

The Average

Rin Beach Resort is a 3 star resort near the famous Haad Rin Nai Beach, venue for the famous Full Moon Party. The resort has a pool with accommodation set around the pool as well as a restaurant and bar. The stand out feature of the resort, however, is the boat house option. This is a line of ersatz boats set in a shallow pool. They are rooms. Inside each boat house is a room with rich wooden interiors curved as the ship’s hull. They are fairly spacious and some feature an indoor Jacuzzi. The roof of the boat house works as a private sunroof. The quality of the boat houses makes them more than just architectural gimmicks. They add something to the resort and to Haad Rin which despite its fame and large cash flow fails in the most part to dazzle in terms of hotel design. The idea is not new however, as the Imperial Boat House in Koh Samui also has boat shaped rooms around a boat-shaped pool.

The Ridiculous

From the average to the downright ridiculous is Baanphasawan, near the Myanmar border. The resort is the brainchild of a major fruit enthusiast. The 80 acre site has over 100 varieties of fruit under cultivation. The rooms are bungalows in the shape of fruits. It looks daft and the builds are not high quality. They look like giant carnival float pieces made of something I hope more than paper Mache.

The Green

Casa de La Flora is on the beach at Khao Lak. It is near the main market area of Bang Niang. This is a modernist eco hotel. The rooms are long and beach facing. The roofs feature immaculate strips of lawn. This is complimented by a large strip of grass leading down to the pool with sea views. The ‘green roofs’ make good sense in Thailand as they help to keep the temperature down inside the rooms. The benefit is that fewer resources are needed to be spent on air-con. This makes the carbon footprint for running hotel lower. From an architectural point of view, the only disappointment with the rooms is that they are essentially long concrete tubes with grass on top. They look cramped and lacking in complexity. From an aerial view they look like long bunkers with golf greens on top. However, they are unique.

Train Station Architecture in Thailand

Train stations represent towns and cities. They represent a centre, a hub. Often they demonstrate civic pride. In many cases rail stations are well funded building projects used to set the architectural tone of an area.  Famous architects have built memorable train stations. With this in mind, what do Thailand’s train stations have to tell us about Thai culture?

Hua Lamphong Train Station

Hua Lamphong Station (opened June, 1916) is the most important train station in Thailand. It was designed by Mario Tamagno, an Italian architect and lecturer who won a 25 year contract from King Chulalongkorn. Mario Tamagno was influenced by Italianate or Neo-Renaissance style. He also combined elements of the baroque in his work. While the central arch that runs through the building is very much in the vogue of train stations at the time, he added ornate buildings to the side, along with columns. There is a certain grandeur to the building but the style which harks back to 15th Century Italy might not be the obvious choice for a train station in Bangkok.

Perhaps since steam power was a Western innovation, along with mechanised industrialisation (and indeed train station design) it was felt that the train station should reflect this – a new, grand departure for Thailand.

Mario Tamagno also designed Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge, Nongkhran Samoson Hall in Suan Sunanda Palace, and the Oriental Hotel. He often collaborated with Annibale Rigotti.

Nakhon Lampang Station

In contrast Nakhon Lampang Railway Station (opened circa 1915) displays a mix of Northern Thai and European architecture styles. It is 600 kilometres north of Bangkok Train station. The main train station building has European arches on the ground floor and then a second floor with ornately designed windows and doors more in a Thai style. The roof has two tiers with a gap for ventilation that is also Thai. In 1993 the train station won the Association of Siamese Architects' Architectural Conservation Award.

Hua Hin Train Station

Hua Hin Train Station is often called ‘Thailand's most beautiful train station’. The wooden building was previously a royal pavilion in Sanamchan Palace, Nakhon Pathom Province. It was rebuilt at Hua Hin in 1968.

The main building on the platform is the small wooden pavilion. It is built in classic Thai style. The red and yellow of the pavilion is repeated in the platform awning and columns.

Phitchit Train Station

Phitchit Train Station was also built in the reign of King Chulalongkorn. It is a small square building (not a long one hugging the line) that is in a Neo-Classical style. It is a solid white building with large shuttered windows on the second floor and arches on the bottom floor.

These four buildings are the more eye-catching stations in Thailand. They reveal two themes. One is that there were no restrictions on building style when many stations were built. The other is that train station design was influenced by the King.

The royal connection with train stations in Thailand is obvious. Not only was the King often the driving force for infrastructure improvements to the realm but also his arrival at the city was often a cause for the building of a monumental train station. Other stations that he didn’t visit in a public capacity at the start of the rail age in Thailand didn’t receive the same attention or funding.

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok_Railway_Station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhon_Lampang_Railway_Station

Stupa and Chedi

In Thailand the terms stupa and chedi are interchangeable. They refer to the mound shape found in many Buddhist buildings. They are one of the core designs of Thai Buddhist architecture.

A stupa or chedi looks like a cup upside. Indeed there is a story that the original Buddha’s disciples asked their master what sort of monument they should build for his dead body. The Buddha folded a cloth into a square and placed his begging bowl on top to demonstrate what he wanted.

This story is relevant because historians believe that the first stupas in India were originally burial mounds. This aspect of stupas is retained in a sense that a stupa is meant to contain relics from Buddhist saints, although some modern stupas are just symbolic and don’t contain any relics.

Stupas are believed to have derived from burial bounds pre-dating Buddhism. Indeed the word ‘stupa’ derives from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘to pile up’. The stupa was adopted as a key element to Buddhist temple architecture in India. And from India the stupa (along with Buddhism) was exported all over Asia including Thailand.

The symbolism involved in the Buddhist stupa is complex:

1. The square base is the head of the Buddha
2. The hemisphere is the Buddha’s body
3. The top of the spire coming out of the mound is his crown
4. The base is his throne
5. The steps below are his legs.

The totality represents the Buddha meditating in lotus position on his lion throne.

Famous Stupa in Thailand

• Phra Pathommachedi – Nakhon Pathom. Tallest stupa in the world
• Phra Boromathat Chaiya – Chaiya in Suratthani Province
• Wat Arun – Bangkok. Also a representation of Mount Meru
• Wat Yai Chai Mongkon – Ayutthaya. UNESCO site

The image above shows the 8 different styles of stupa. This gives you a clue to the added significance different designs in stupa have. This picture is based on Tibetan sources but could just as well apply to Thai stupas.

Resources: Wikipedia entry about Stupas

Tree Houses in Thailand

It is curious that although Thais frequently build their homes on stilts they rarely build houses or bungalows in trees. The tree house is an imported idea that is slowly gaining traction in Thailand. It is sometimes broadly interpreted as a building among trees or a roof top room exposed to the elements. Here are a few versions of tree houses in Thailand.

Bangkok Tree House

This is a serious attempt at an environmentally friendly hotel in Bangkok. It is next to the river in an area with plenty of trees. The hotel offers various high build rooms including this one with great views and a bed on a viewing platform. It epitomises the indoor / outdoor concept that came to the fore of Thai design in the early 2000s mostly connected to luxury villa and hotel architecture.

www.bangkoktreehouse.com

Khao Sok Tree House

This is a resort set near the National Park of Khao Sok. It is a staging post for safaris in the park. It gives guests the chance to be in a jungle environment. The rooms are bungalows that are on stilts. They are not built in the cradle of a branch but are surrounded by plenty of trees. The resort does well to combine luxuries such as a swimming pool with a forest situation.

www.khaosok-treehouse.com/

Rabeang Pasak Treehouse Resort

This resort is on the edge of Chiang Mai City. It is in a great sylvan location. Longan House is a well-constructed tree house. The main room is built around a tree trunk at elevation. The structure is extended with steps and a walk way to a smaller room near ground level.

Charm Beach Resort

On the popular party beach of Baan Tai you can find one ‘luxury’ tree house. It is built in a tree on the beach. It has TV, air-con and the resort promises room service. It is a bungalow in a tree essentially. It fits very well into the traditional Koh Phangan style of using natural and locally sourced materials for building.

www.kohphanganhotelreviews.com/best-tree-house/

Sunrise Villa

On the same island is Sunrise Villa. It is a modern 3 bedroom private villa. The hillside location means that there is a large distance between the wrap around balcony and the steep hill below. The panoramic sea views and the height give the impression of being in a tree house.

Koh Phayam

Koh Phayam is a small island off the coast from Ranong on the Andaman coast. It is very under-developed, in many ways like Koh Phangan was 30 years ago. The main beach had a bar with lots of funky seating including this basic tree house. The platform is made from bamboo and the steps are just bits of wood nailed to the tree. It is simplicity itself.

Beach Architecture in Thailand

Two of the main driving forces of construction in Thailand has been tourism and the private residence for foreigners sectors. Thai people tend to stick with the same house and often expand outwards. It is not that they are not house proud, rather it is that the banks are reluctant to lend money for housing projects. Moreover, Thais have a practical attitude to their homes –they are just places to rest your head. In villages people tend to stay on the verandas and porches in the shade but still interact with the world passing by. They love eating outside and being outside. It is not an indoor country in the way that say Sweden is.

There was a boom in the building of private villas in resort areas in Thailand such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in the 1990s and first decade of this century. That all changed with the down turn in the world economy in 2008. There has been a small recovery but political uncertainty has held the market back. Many of these villas are now on the market for a reduced price. The problem is that few people want to buy a second hand villa in Thailand when they can get a new one for little more money – plus also estate agents are actually developers and they push their own products rather than their second hand catalogue.

Villas reflect hotel architecture in many ways in that they focus on outdoor spaces that run into indoor spaces. The focal points tend to be the outdoor pool, Jacuzzi and bedroom with great view. They are selling a lifestyle just as hotels are selling an exotic and pampered experience. The cross-over is complete with many villa rentals offering in-house catering and hotel services. People want their own private luxury but don’t want to clean or cook it seems!

The other end of beach culture is the traditional Thai beach bungalow made with local wood, bamboo and thatched roof. Back in the day these basic wooden bungalows on stilts didn’t even have a bathroom – it was more practical and hygienic to have a communal bathroom block.

Now many beach resorts have abandoned the traditional Thai architecture of the beach hut and built concrete units euphemistically called ‘villas’. They sometimes attempt a nod to Thai architecture with a Thai style steep roof or by using hardwood floors and Thai decoration. These are just superfluous flourishes and the process of upping rental prices is turning Thai beaches into soulless corporate hotel locations that embrace fake modernity, ersatz Thai culture and an insidious monoculture.

Thankfully places such as Koh Chang (off Andaman coast) and obscure beaches such as Mae Haad in Koh Phangan still keep to the traditional Thai beach architecture which is about upcycling, recycling, using local materials and blending into the environment. The point cannot be made strong enough – upgrading makes the beach ugly and does not bring prosperity to the local community.

Beach Architecture

The majority of visitors to Thailand head for the beach. They might stop for a few days in Bangkok and Chiang Mai but for most the focal point of the holiday is going to be a beach milieu. It is thus the buildings found at beach resorts that are going to inform people’s ideas of Thai architecture; that and Thai temples.

The more developed the beach resort area the more the hotels and resorts move away from basic wooden bungalows made of local materials such as bamboo and coconut thatch. It is a shame that the next step up from coconut thatching seems to be the ugly corrugated iron roof.

Since the weather in beach locations is so clement many public buildings consist mostly of columns holding up a roof – walls are unnecessary and prevent natural ventilation. Often the only architectural flourish is the architrave which might be a feature borrowed from temple architecture or some wooden paneling with a ‘Thai’ motif.

Poppies Restaurant in Koh Samui

5 Star hotels in Koh Samui and Phuket might use a Chinese column and arch or Thai sala. These are more nods to the location rather than an attempt at exciting Thai architecture. The desire of the architect is to fulfill the guests’ expectations of luxury and ‘tropical living’ spending resources to make big outdoor areas, unusual swimming pools and what is known as ‘indoor / outdoor’ spaces. The ultimate in luxury seems to be a private swimming pool that comes up to the bedroom window and maybe inside the villa. It is all fairly superficial and governed more by fads in fashion than innovation in architecture.

In places like Koh Phangan where beach accommodation is generally upgrading the focus is still on providing air-con, outdoor baths, swimming pools, hot water and other facilities that can justify a rise in prices.

At beaches moving from the budget to the mid-range such as Haad Salad Beach it is hard to find any structure that stands out architecturally. Perhaps this is as it should be since the star of the show is the white sand, the turquoise sea and the towering palm trees. This might be a better situation as more concrete only increase the heat of an area, and the prices.

Haadlad Prestige Resort and Spa

Bangkok Architecture

The typical experience of Bangkok architecture is one of randomness and ad hoc alterations as you move around the city. It is a short distance from modernist centers like Siam and Chidlom to shanty housing thrown up along the klongs and the train tracks.

Often the glare and the loud music, not to mention the razzmatazz, of certain places masks old and functional buildings, quickly put up. All over the city you see 'stacking' - blocks of concrete units, often hotels, laid next to each other overlooking narrow roads.

Around the city you see odd attempts at architectural statement. Besides the famous examples of the National Stadium and the famous religious buildings of the capital there are plenty of small details that strike you as not quite successful and perhaps dated.

The boom years in the 2000s when the world property market was bouyed by record high share prices meant a lot of money was available for big building projects. Moreover building condominium units allowed agents to sell to foreigners freehold titles.Along the waterfront of the Chao Phraya River from Khao San down to Sukhumvit and beyond you see skycrapers with modernist and bold touches. Really selling itself and the city.

There is now an over-supply of top-end accommodation in Bangkok and so major Bangkok commercial projects have slowed down. Investment is down and the Baht is in danger of becoming too expensive for export and so major public works is less.

Despite all these shortcomings, Bangkok remains the benchmark for South East Asian architecture and town planning. The city continues to change and throw up buildings that typify a style and a new trend.

Futuristic

River Shanty

Stacking

Mock Italian

Waterfront development

Sukhumvit

Dated 2000s architecture

The Fad with Unpainted Concrete

I am always surprised when I visit a new place in Thailand. I invariably stumble across a building with unpainted concrete. I can see no evidence of building work so I can only presume that the concrete has been left unpainted deliberately. Why do people do that?

It is not just in Thailand. I have seen the same thing in Japan as well. I suppose there is a certain appeal to polished concrete. It can pick up quite an attractive sheen. Sometimes polished concrete can work well for flooring areas; however, to build walls using concrete, and then to leave all the concrete bare and unpainted does not appeal.

The idea I think in many instances is not to save money but to create some type of effect. That is the case, for example, at See Through Boutique Resort in Haad Yao. You can see below it is a row of joining hotel rooms on two levels. The architect has used a zigzag design to create a small amount of privacy between each unit. The long pool stretches for the entire length of the hotel building. This is impressive. It harks back to classical ideas of architecture of using water to reflect buildings and to add grandeur.

See Through Boutique Resort markets itself as exclusive and high end. For Haad Yao the design does make it stand out. The interiors of the rooms are comfortable without being accused of being luxurious. The best thing about them from the point of view of interior design is that they use splashes of color.

It is just a shame that the color motifs were not used on the outside of the building - grey looked cool and minimal about 8 years ago. It is not fashionable or boutique any longer. It just looks cheap. Moreover bare concrete soon gets rain stains and looks very far from boutique.

Experiencing Thai Architecture in Hotels in Bangkok

One good way of discovering the variety of architectural styles to be found in Thailand is to stay in carefully chosen hotels in Bangkok that typify certain designs. I am not talking about staying in big ‘identikit’ chain hotels that look the same all over the world; rather I am talking about the numerous ‘boutique’ hotels in the capital. The great thing about Bangkok is that it is great value for 3 and 4 star hotels. If you hunt around websites you can often find promotional prices that let you stay in some truly wonderful places at really reasonable rates.

The Sukhothai

The Sukhothai is usually classed as one of the best hotels in Bangkok. It is a riverside hotel near all the famous tourist attractions. The facilities and amenities are very modern but the styling of the buildings is based on the architectural style found in the city of Sukhothai (a former capital). The buildings have sharply sloping roofs; the garden has replica stupas and water features are used to reflect and compliment the look.

Chakrabongse Villas

This used to be the private residence of Prince Chakrabongse. It is just 300 meters from the Grand Palace. It was converted into a small hotel in 2008. The buildings, constructed 1908, are made of teak and present an excellent example of how Thais make wooden houses. There are curved roofs and large eaves. This is the ancient alternative to guttering and necessary during the torrential downpours during the rainy season.

The main building features a marble floor and a carved wooden staircase. The common areas are a treasure trove of Thai antique furniture. By staying in Chakrabonge Villas you get an insight into Thai royal life; you even get a chance to try royal cuisine at the restaurant.

Ariyasom Villa

This is a gem of a hotel. It was designed by the famous Thai architect and engineer Kun Phra Chareon. This was the man who designed the iconic National Stadium as well as the first runway at Don Meung Airport.

This hotel represents one of the first attempts to combine indigenous and Western styles of architecture. The large sloping roofs are Thai but the supplemental roofs with windows are a Western touch. The narrow windows to keep out the heat are Thai but the concrete frame is definitely Western. The ideas of Phra Chareon can be seen repeated throughout Thailand. He was a visionary.

Shanghai Mansion

The Shanghai Mansion has won several travel awards and has been featured in numerous articles about boutique and original hotels in Bangkok. It is sometimes classified as a ‘themed’ hotel. This is because it replicates in its interior design and furnishing 1930s Shanghai style. The place has an art deco classiness that takes you to the Far East. There is a Chinese water garden, paper lanterns and lots of antique furniture. Some of the rooms have 4 poster beds and the color scheme is both daring and traditionally Chinese.

Shanghai Mansion is located in Chinatown in Bangkok. It is not an area that sees many tourists as the street businesses are not geared towards tourism as is the case in Khao San and the Sukhumvit area.

The exterior of the hotel combines modern concrete high rise with a series of small roofs to give a pagoda effect. This is complimented by lantern style lights on the outside of the building. This is one of my favourite hotels in Bangkok partly because I love dim sun.

Tenface

For a look at modern architecture in Thailand stay at Tenface in Chidlom. It is a very cool hotel with top notch amenities. It is geared at a hip crowd. The bar has a DJ and the hotel makes strong use of stylish branding and eye-catching interior design.

Architecturally what is of note is the front of the building. It is a concrete building using the principles of squares. Each square represents a room with balcony. Clever use is made of floor to ceiling windows to give light to the rooms. The concrete beams jut out and overlap to create a modernist pattern to break up the monotony of the box design. Moreover, wooden struts are used to combine levels of the building. Sadly wooden cladding has been overdone in Thailand and is destined to quickly look out-of-date but here it is used to good effect.

These are just a few examples of great hotels in Bangkok that give you architectural pause for thought, and should fill you with ideas if you are thinking of designing your own house in Thailand.

Practical Considerations for House Design in Thailand

The best architecture is grounded in practicality. It is no use a building looking beautiful if it quickly disintegrates, becomes uninhabitable, infested or otherwise damaged. The challenge of Thai architecture is a lot to do with dealing with the extreme climatic conditions and the problems this throws up for building construction and maintenance.

Rain

Much of Thailand is in a tropical area that is hot and humid and subject to lots of rain. Moreover, the country experiences a yearly monsoon or wet season when water levels rise quickly. This has had a big impact on Thai architecture. Traditionally, many Thai homes are built on stilts, firstly made of wood and latterly made of concrete. Raising the floor level off the ground protects the house from flooding.

The steep roof is a common sight in Thai architecture. The multi-layered steep roof is one of the defining aspects of traditional Thai architecture, especially on temples or wats. The reason for the steep roof is that the rain runs off quicker and so has less chance of seeping through the tiling and damaging the inside of a building. Rain seepage can eventually lead to ceilings collapsing. Nowadays, gutters are a ‘must’ for a lot of building design because water runoff will leave a stain down the side of a house.

White

The most common color for houses is white. This is connected to the last point: water run-off stains walls; as does car fumes, mold and animals. If you paint a house in a non-white color the patch that has been most recently re-painted will look a different color to the rest of the house. With white this is not the case. When white paint dries it looks the same as the rest of the white paint.

Wood

One of the great natural resources that Thailand has is wood. There are plenty of hardwoods (including teak and other expensive hardwoods) that can be used for building construction and interior design. Wood looks much better than concrete or tiles. The only problem with wood is that it is food for a number of insects that are indigenous to Thailand. If your new home or holiday villa in Thailand is near a jungle then you have to apply several layers of varnish and sealant to protect the wood from insects. If the wood gets infested you need to spray can after can of insecticide into the wood to kill the wood-eating insects. Wood needs constant maintenance.

Windows

Often a Thai holiday villa is near a beach or is perched on a hill to gain a sea view. To make the most of the beautiful natural scenery it is tempting to install lots of windows or floor to ceiling windows. It makes an attractive selling point to the house. However, there are two major drawbacks. Firstly, solar gain means that the sun coming through the windows can make a room very hot. This drives up air-con bills. Secondly, the more windows means the more cleaning. And if the window frames are made of wood (as they normally are) then more maintenance is required to stop the wood cracking, warping or being eaten by insects.

Turf

A friend recently completed building a holiday villa in Thong Nai Pan. He bought turf for the garden. The grass didn’t seem to grow but lots of pretty butterflies could be seen flitting over the dying grass. It took him a couple of days to discover that the grass had been grown in seaweed, and that butterflies had laid their eggs in the sea weed. He eventually solved the problem, but it was a proverbial pain  for him at the time.

Having a lawn is high maintenance in Thailand. Local grasses grow quicker, as does tropical vegetation. Without constant weeding a lawn can soon be overrun with local plants. Traditional Thai gardens often do not use large expanses of grass or turf.

These are just a few important ways in which the Thai climate, weather and flora and fauna affect Thai architecture, and how you should design as house in Thailand with these factors in mind.

Architecture and Interior Design in Koh Samui

Koh Samui is the second biggest island in Thailand. Since the island was discovered by backpackers in the early 1970s the island has transformed itself from a coconut growing backwater to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia.

There has been a lot of money put into the development of Koh Samui. Besides the money spent on an airport, good roads and a few big hospitals there has also been a serious investment in architectural design and practice as well as care paid to interior design in Koh Samui.

Many places opt for a contemporary Thai architecture while others go for an ultra modern look. There is a small ground swell in Koh Samui for sustainable design. Some designs are just plain bizarre while other buildings just look plain ugly.

The island is continually changing the way it looks and the way visitors interact with their surroundings.

In the few years leading up to the global financial disaster of 2008 there was a private housing boom in Koh Samui. Developers, while usually looking for cheap design that ticked all the boxes of pool, air-con, privacy and view, did sometimes build a few villas with noteworthy characteristics.

Below are a few photos of architecture and interior design in Koh Samui along with notes.

Buri Rasa Village has pool villas. This is an example of tick the box luxury. Wooden slating, tiny pool and simple concrete slab with 4 ceramic tiles to give just a hint of design.

 Another example of luxury and poor design. KC Over Water Villas has the original idea to built villas over swimming pools and then ruins the effect with standard housing that is packed tightly together.

 A better use of a swimming pool at Outrigger. The semi circular pool increases access and style.

Sala Samui uses natural materials, clever ground lighting and vistas to create striking interior design.

 This comes in plain awful category. Some type of pastiche of Louis XVI grandeur.

Unfinished private villa next to the beach such a remarkable amount of architectural ambition: round and vaguely reminiscent of a lighthouse.

Excellent use of contemporary Thai architecture by the Sala Samui.

 Ultra modern by Solo Bar in Chaweng. Featuring huge tinted windows and a curve theme.

Using there curved lines of a pool and a natural corridor of coconut palms to enhance the natural beauty of the sea horizon view at the Buddy Oriental.

An example of the bizarre: a series of boat shaped villas around a boat shaped pool. The villas look like the result from a tsunami. This is the Imperial Boat Villas.

Melati Resort uses understatement and the natural beauty of the beach. Nice use of bamboo.

Traditional Chinese shop house in Fisherman's Village in Bophut to create a boutique shop. Red is a strong Chinese colour that is found in lots of the interior designs on Koh Samui. Shame about the corrugated iron roof.

Bathrooms in Thailand

The best and the worst of bathrooms in Thailand

Bathrooms in Thailand are vastly varying quality. In cheap hotels, guest houses and bungalows bathrooms are functional and clean at best and awkward, dirty and falling apart at worse. 

Hot water vs. cold water

Although many holiday makers want a bathroom with hot water it is not always necessary in a country where the temperature is in the 30s. It is often the case that a cold shower is preferable as a way to cool down and rinse the sweat off the body.

One popular way in Thailand to make shower water warm is to put the water storage tank on the roof. The heat of the sun warms the water and makes it a nice temperature for showering. Another option is to run the water through tubes on the roof that allow the water to warm for free.

Styles of bathroom in Thailand

Part of the glamor of tropical living is being able to luxuriate in a 5 star bathroom. Having space and surfaces to put cosmetics etc. is a great help. Marble or granite surfaces are popular. 

The color scheme of a bathroom can make it stand out. White seems sterile and out of date. Black has a stylish minimal feel and small colored tiles bring a playful feel to the room. Bold statements and center pieces can be made with tile mosaics either on the wall or the floor.

The most luxurious item for a bathroom is often a Jacuzzi. A big bath is also attractive. Both, however, use a lot of water. Many hotels now have outdoor rain showers to allow people to wash for the chlorine and salt from swimming in a pool or the sea. Deluxe places often feature a Jacuzzi on a balcony with a sea view.

Water conservation

One issue for a residential villa is water conservation. Water is not free and sometimes droughts occur in Thailand during the long hot summers. The solution is to install a low flow shower head and low flow faucet aerators in the villa. They mix air with water to halve water flow without reducing water pressure or showering pleasure. Another possibility is to employ a grey water recycling system to use unwanted shower water in the garden.

Below are just a few pictures of bathrooms in Thailand.