Thai architect Kuanchanok Pakavaleetorn has built her own family home in Bangkok, with a design that prioritises privacy and airflow.
Pakavaleetorn, founder of Kuanchanok Pakavaleetorn Architects, designed 55 Sathorn to make the best of its busy and polluted urban setting.
The four-storey-high building is arranged around a large atrium, allowing windows to face inwards rather than outwards. The facade also incorporates sliced openings, strategically placed to encourage the breeze to flow through the building.
"The location is in the very centre of Bangkok; the noise level is very high, and the traffic flow of people and cars is a safety and security concern," explained Pakavaleetorn.
"So I designed the house to take a defensive fortress-like posture," she told Dezeen.
The building is primarily constructed from concrete masonry, which integrates a mix of rectilinear and curving elements. This means that some parts have a more solid aesthetic, while others take the form of smooth ribbons.
There are three main openings into this massing: one that slices though the south elevation before cutting round to the west, one that wraps the southeast corner, and one within the roof.
There's also a narrow vertical slit concealed within the eastern facade.
Although they appear to be design flourishes, each opening is there for a reason, according to Pakavaleetorn.
"The large openings are positioned precisely to maximise wind flow," she said, "and they frame specific viewing angles."
Large windows positioned within the atrium line up with the openings, to ensure that plenty of natural light can reach the interior.
The layout of the 460-square-metre building is generated by the atrium – most floors contain two main rooms, one on each side.
The ground floor contains a home office and gym, while the living room and kitchen are located on the first floor. There are then three bedrooms, located on the second and third floors, and a secluded roof terrace.
The concrete surfaces are visible inside the house, but have been treated with a textured coating. They are combined with a palette that includes natural wood veneers, stone tiling and various shades of grey.
Other details include black aluminium windows, a mezzanine library accessed via a spiral staircase, and a kitchen with an entire wall of storage.
Pakavaleetorn currently lives in the house with her husband and one-year-old daughter, but she expects her parents to move in at some point in the future.
The photography is by Wison Tungthunya and Kittipong Bumrungchaokasem.