“From limitations come possibilities” is a common recurring story in architecture, but one that only seems apparent when one has faced the unexpected challenges first hand. When Orchid Massage wants to create a new branch that can clearly convey its essence as a traditional Thai massage place in Shanghai, China, we began exploring Thai architectural and cultural elements that can quickly convey a cultural distinction without much explanation. The challenge, however, was the basement location and the local fire code preventing the use of wood or other combustible materials often defining the majority of vernacular Thai architecture. And with the program requirement of so many rooms and surface area to cover, stone or various metal elements had to be kept to a minimum to meet the budget. The humble red brick, at its peak of use in Thailand during the Ayutthaya period, offered a source of inspiration. Left exposed today as the plaster falls off, the ruins allow us to learn from the purity of material, walls, columns, and openings. From the bricks, we first established a grounded façade, and through variations of portals and scales of high and low spaces that correspond to the scale of experience of the public and the private, the Orchid experience becomes a journey back to the ancient kingdom. As one’s mind and body rests, the moments through the space and massage treatment meander between familiarity of the past and the interpretation of the present.
ORCHID MASSAGE JHQ Branch
maos design

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Designer
maos design
Client
ORCHID MASSAGE
Floor area
330.00 ㎡
Completion
2018
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