Raveevan Space
จุดบรรจบของ Residential Space และ Art Space

Located in the middle of Soi Sukhumvit 39, Raveevan Space is a brand-new serviced apartment that has just been launched, whose building and all residential units were designed by a team of architects from Stu/D/O Architects. The concept is to present fun ideas that add creativity to elevate the design of living spaces to the next level.

Today, Design For Business takes you to see the concept of the confluence between residential space design and creativity in architectural design that perfectly complements each other.

The Raveevan Space is not the first project of the project owner, but it is a result of the development of a new project based on the Raveevan Suite project, a high-end serviced apartment in the heart of Sukhumvit 39, decorated in a classic style, focusing on large residential units at about 500 square meters per unit, which is very popular with Thai people and foreigners who have been working in this area for a long time. But for this new project, the owner wishes to create a more compact and enjoyable living unit. However, for this new project, the owner wishes to create a more compact and enjoyable living unit. The highlight is not only the size of the residential units but also the presentation of a design that brings problems and limitations around the area to be rethought until it emerges as a gimmicky solution through a modern and interesting design.

 Lines created by breaking limitations and adjusted to be beneficial

A team of architects from Stu/D/O Architects did their research on the challenges provided, beginning with gradually breaking down the constraints of the development area from the first problem, which is a matter of “perspective,” where the land adjacent to Soi Sukhumvit 39 is surrounded by both commercial buildings and houses, with only a plot of land behind the project that can plant large trees. The second issue is “Sunlight direction,” as the project faces west-southwest and will be fully impacted by the afternoon heat. Last is the need to use the existing space to the best value.

The architect team proposed designing the façade as beveled walls with an angle of about 45 degrees, divided into panels placed in the openings on the building elevation to use the wall’s twisted angle as a leading line for the residents to the existing green space behind the project area. This façade also helps block the afternoon sunlight from entering the building and increases the privacy for the residents. It is a one-time design that solves many problems.

The oblique wall that separates the sheets on the side of the building will be the main line in arranging the internal residential units, where each unit will be designed to match the 45-degree twist line. Compared to the perpendicular road and landlines, the arrangement of the residential apartments and the common space of this building is similarly twisted 45 degrees. There are a total of 23 residential units. Each unit is roughly 250 square meters in size, consisting of a fully functional usable area with a living, dining, food preparation space, kitchen, one master bedroom, two bedrooms, and a separate maid’s room. Since this is a fully fixed serviced apartment where the tenants have to bring in their own furniture, the interior design must consider flexibility and simplicity for use, while using sturdy and long-lasting decorative materials that are generally simple to maintain.

Because the residential units here are larger than typical serviced apartments, Stu/D/O Architects designed each unit with its own Double Volume Space. The external building elevation clearly shows that this lofty hall space has a gimmick, different positions, and interlacing each other. As a consequence, the measurements of the area within the building vary between different dimensions, providing visuals that enhance the structure’s appearance.

“Normally, if we are inside the building and look outside the window, we will see a One Point Perspective view. But here, when we twist the building view to 45 degrees, we will see the outside view from a Two Point perspective that looks different yet interesting,” adds Khun Ray, one of the architects.

Oblique lines and triangles, the main language of this building, are used as conceptual lines in interior design, graphics, and landscape architecture to create harmony.

In addition, the architects also thought about factors that enhance the quality of life of living through the use of light and natural wind to ventilate the building by designing triangular skylights from the rooftop to the 1st floor to help ventilate the residential units in the interior of the building that are far from the external windows, allowing cross ventilation in all units.

The rooftop area is designed to be the common area of the project, consisting of a large swimming pool, the fitness room, and also has a large wooden balcony area for organizing events by the pool, which still draws on the triangular lines as the main concept in organizing the space, such as designing a seat in the pool in a triangle corner to be used as a private seat that can be separated from the main swimming area.

Buildings are like works of art

As the project’s owner has a lengthy history in the art industry, the architect proposed the concept of designing a building with the characteristics of an Art Space, allowing the building to have an interior space comparable to an Art Gallery where art can be displayed and decorated. At the same time, the building itself is like a piece of art as well.

The building’s façade is designed to appear smooth, with enormous dark gray vertical walls positioned at oblique angles and aligned in an elevation, contrasting with the light gray horizontal external balcony slabs from the bare cement jutting from the structure. These structural panels’ two surfaces interact with the sunlight, constantly casting shadows on the building. There is also a large green area on both the rooftop and the garden surrounding the building, giving the building a livelier and more relaxed appearance thanks to the landscape architecture designers’ choice of Thai trees with beautiful blooms and fragrances.

The synergy between business design and design passion

Why can a residential building project in the heart of the business district and creativity in architectural design come together perfectly? The architect concludes that we are really fortunate that the project owner has a vision and appreciation of the value of design and art, in addition to the business fundamentals that a serviced apartment project of this type must have which the project owner has expertise with. The architect can adequately articulate the design concept. Because we believe that, in addition to meeting the demands of basic usability, incorporating intriguing and unique creative concepts into designs also adds value and creates a memorable image that will be beneficial to the project.  As a result, we then create valuable contributions to the architecture community.

Location:  Bangkok, Thailand 
Site Area:  1,900 sqm.
Built Area:  9,900 sqm.
Architects: Stu/D/O Architects (stu.d.o)
Photograph: DOF Sky I Ground 

Writer
Rangsima Arunthanavut

Rangsima Arunthanavut