This project allowed the architect to examine Architecture as the relationship between buildings and culture. In Chiang Rai, similarly to other rural places in the country, vernacular building techniques are not passed down from generations to generations. Vernacular houses are being dismantled and sold as reclaimed timber.
The Project address this issue through the programme of cultural tourism and the adaptation of vernacular architecture for future generations. Tourists will be living with a local host in groups of four houses following the traditional way of Northern Thai lifestyle. Natural ventilation is employed for cooling during the summer and double layer fenestration for insulation in the winter. The aim is to learn from local knowhow, culture and traditions thus adapt them where appropriate to ensure relevance in present times and well into the future.
Re-claimed timber from dismantled homes was selected as the main building material. The architect chose to conserve the essence of the original buildings in parts rather than restoring as whole. Each mark tells the journey story of each piece of timber, where it has been, and how it was used.