This project aims to create a comfortable and inspiring space for artists in a brutal tropical climate. After travelling to our site in Thailand, we realized that without either passive cooling or AC, the intense heat would be too much for artists coming from all around the globe. The design focuses on mitigating the heat through evaporative cooling, natural ventilation, utilization of the heat stack effect, and thermal barriers. Paired with these efforts was an emphasis on adaptability and flexibility, both in terms of the design itself and the physical construction methods of the units. The dual focus on adaptability and climate was a fortuitous paring, since movable parts, screens, and light materials all yielded a structure more suited to adjusting to changing weather conditions. We used local wood and bamboo as the primary building materials, along with steel HSS posts. The result was a series of buildings which do not smack of novelty, but arrived at a similar solution to climate that other Thai houses have. They are extremely simple structures which blend with the color palette of the existing landscape and respond with simplicity to the climate and materiality of the site.
