Bauhaus In Thailand

[Nikkijah]

I'm toying with the idea of building a Bauhaus style home either in Bangkok or up-country in Nong Khai, would this be possible?

I've heard stories of falang trying to get approval for their own house design plans and either being instantly turned down or having to pay money to get the approval

I asked my partner and she thinks that you can build whatever you want on your own land and that approval is not necessary...

Has anybody ever built a Bauhaus home before? Or known anybody who has?

Obviously the downfall of this kind of design would be the large window-walls letting sun in or energy out, I would hope that keeping a healthy garden of full bushes and trees will prevent the sun fully penetrating into the home and that double glazed windows will prevent the energy loss to a degree.

Security is obviously another issue but as I have suggested to my partner we would have a good security system starting with a high wall, motion sensors, guard dog(s) etc etc

My theory is that the actual build of the house may not be as expensive here as in the west(UK/USA) based on the fact that you would pay more for the design than the actual build in those countries BUT having high quality glass walls would cost more than traditional wall material.

I would like to keep my build to a single storey and include a roof terrace - hopefully with a spiral staircase leading up to it. I've never seen a spiral staircase in Thailand but they must exist!? Anyone seen one?

Any ideas or experience would be invaluable to me - this is a dream and I have many years to fulfill it, I do not expect to get all the answers I need right away and I know that my search for competent builders and high quality materials will be one of the toughest tasks.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Nikkijah

[lannarebirth]

I would say that you won't have any problems getting approval or materials here. In fact, I think it would be more difficult in the US, where energy regs. require windows only be a certain percentage of wall area. You may encounter problems on finding competent finish craftsmen. Maybe you'll have to use chang more experienced in commercial , rather than residential installations.

[Nikkijah]

I would say that you won't have any problems getting approval or materials here. In fact, I think it would be more difficult in the US, where energy regs. require windows only be a certain percentage of wall area. You may encounter problems on finding competent finish craftsmen. Maybe you'll have to use chang more experienced in commercial , rather than residential installations.

I've often thought about using commercial finishers rather than residential - countless times I've seen some high quality finishes in shops than in homes! I guess this will come at a higher price though

lannarebirth, do you have any experience of this type of home? Have you ever lived in one or had friends who have?

Nikkijah

[lannarebirth]

I would say that you won't have any problems getting approval or materials here. In fact, I think it would be more difficult in the US, where energy regs. require windows only be a certain percentage of wall area. You may encounter problems on finding competent finish craftsmen. Maybe you'll have to use chang more experienced in commercial , rather than residential installations.

I've often thought about using commercial finishers rather than residential - countless times I've seen some high quality finishes in shops than in homes! I guess this will come at a higher price though

lannarebirth, do you have any experience of this type of home? Have you ever lived in one or had friends who have?

Nikkijah

No, I never have, nor do I recall friends that have. I DO see similar looking homes/restaurants around from time to time. It's a not unpopular style here. I always assumed they were architect's homes. Here's a possible contact for you:

http://www.fourelephants.com/lifestyle.php?sid=49

[Nikkijah]

I would say that you won't have any problems getting approval or materials here. In fact, I think it would be more difficult in the US, where energy regs. require windows only be a certain percentage of wall area. You may encounter problems on finding competent finish craftsmen. Maybe you'll have to use chang more experienced in commercial , rather than residential installations.

I've often thought about using commercial finishers rather than residential - countless times I've seen some high quality finishes in shops than in homes! I guess this will come at a higher price though

lannarebirth, do you have any experience of this type of home? Have you ever lived in one or had friends who have?

Nikkijah

No, I never have, nor do I recall friends that have. I DO see similar looking homes/restaurants around from time to time. It's a not unpopular style here. I always assumed they were architect's homes. Here's a possible contact for you:

http://www.fourelephants.com/lifestyle.php?sid=49

Thanks for the link lannarebirth, I found it earlier when I was 'googling' and I've already emailed the lady but her email address is no longer working, I'll have another look tomorrow. thanks again

Nikkijah

[turnip]

I'm also coinsidering building a Bauhaus inspired beach home.

I think the design is quite suited to the enviroment.

If you plan for a single room width house the cross ventilation will provide passive cooling as will keeping the windows on the south and west faces of the house small. A flat roof can be painted white, which reflects some of the heat, and with proper insulation, could be a effective as a pitched roof.

I think one concern is the heavy rain fall in this part of the world. Adequate means of keeping the rain from the walls is important. Typically, tropical homes have quite large overhangs, partly for shading reasons and partly to keep the rain from the walls and pooling at the base of the house.

A Bauhaus style is also suited to stilts which is obviously good in this part of the world - flooding and an element of cooling from airflow beneath the house. See the attached pic.

[Nikkijah]

I'm also coinsidering building a Bauhaus inspired beach home.

I think the design is quite suited to the enviroment.

If you plan for a single room width house the cross ventilation will provide passive cooling as will keeping the windows on the south and west faces of the house small. A flat roof can be painted white, which reflects some of the heat, and with proper insulation, could be a effective as a pitched roof.

I think one concern is the heavy rain fall in this part of the world. Adequate means of keeping the rain from the walls is important. Typically, tropical homes have quite large overhangs, partly for shading reasons and partly to keep the rain from the walls and pooling at the base of the house.

A Bauhaus style is also suited to stilts which is obviously good in this part of the world - flooding and an element of cooling from airflow beneath the house. See the attached pic.

Lovely looking house turnip, I'm having trouble finding any really good sized images of Bauhaus homes but this one looks very nice! where did you find it? Are there any more images where you found this?

I have a house design software package but it's too advanced for me, I don't know any of the terms for building so I'm quite lost, I try to get my ideas down on paper but that just ends up messy

I've been reading about a Dr. Professor(?) Soontorn Boonyatikarn who has built his very own energy producing home just outside of BKK and he has a pitched roof of 30 degrees(I think) which he uses to catch condensation and he also uses it to mount solar panels(see more here: Soontorn Boonyatikarn's home) I was thinking, if the roof had to be pitched for rain to fall off of it then it might as well be used for something else too, perhaps if the roof is pitched slightly then rainwater and condensation will still roll off and this can possibly be hidden by(I don't know what to call them ) small walls on the edge of the roof, this could potentially ruin the look but it could also make the house look slightly more Deco than Bauhaus, know what I mean?

Anyhow, if you've got any more photos or places of reference for this type of building I would definitely be interested to see them

Nikkijah

[Nikkijah]

turnip, have you looked into the costs of a house like this?

And what would you suggest for keeping the rain off of the walls? I see a lot of homes out here with no overhang but then again, I see a lot of homes with cracks all over the walls! I tend to think that a really high quality paint, re-applied annually, will prevent this problem but I really don't know for sure

[sfokevin]

You might take a weekend visit to Krabi and stay here...

http://www.costalanta.com/standard_room.htm

All the rooms are separate little structures made from massive amounts of concrete.

The design is stunning but my partner and I found the room a bit cold and uninviting but we are Emporium guys not Bauhaus Guys...

Edited January 13, 2007 by sfokevin

[Nikkijah]

Cheers for the pics sfokevin, you're right though, this design is very uninviting!

Would this be considered Bauhaus though? I've been reading up and the whole Bauhaus idea is equally about how the house makes you feel as the actual look and I wouldn't imagine there are many people around who disagree with you about this place feeling a bit cold...

I must say though, the interior looks very nice indeed!

Nikkijah

[Thug]

I like this style of homes. Those are some nice looking houses.

But I am thinking BKK does not have these types

[Filer]

Nikkijah

You might wish to contact Mr Hajo von Keller, owner and director of the Mangosteen resort and properties in Rawai, Phuket. He is now adding some 20 villas to his development, which seem to have some Bauhaus type features, and which are being constructed by a local firm with strong European management. There may be various useful contacts for you here. I've sent you a PM with the contact details and a copy of Hajo's latest newsletter.

[sfokevin]

I think the Bauhaus design is very compatible to the urban BKK architecture... I would have the whole house up on a 2nd floor stilts (just like traditional Thai house) and have parking underneath and a central spiral staircase. You could get yourself up high enough to have a cool rooftop vista...

Have you done any research on the supplier of windows?... seems like you could find a suppliers of industrial grade plate windows ( 3x3 meter with aluminum frame) and design the structure around a multiple of that standard size. Also I would assume the structure would be of reinforced concrete - you would need a builder that could construct a structure out of concrete that was delicate enough to stick to the Bauhaus style. I think my example of Costa Lanta veered from the delicate Bauhaus look because of lack of expertise in forming concrete structures...

[chownah]

I don't know Bauhaus from a hole in the ground but I think that the slender "concrete" columns are actually steel beams placed vertically and encased in enough concrete to give them the right look....forming is not really a problem with this and the final finish can be stucco or waterproof plaster.

Chownah

P.S. Does anyone have a good link for an explanation of Bauhaus? Chownah

[Nikkijah]

I like this style of homes. Those are some nice looking houses.

But I am thinking BKK does not have these types

An old friend of mine has a Bauhaus style home right on the banks of the Chao Praya River in central Bangkok, it is not pure Bauhaus because it has overhangs on the roof but it has lots of other Bauhaus hallmarks - clean lines, high ceilings, minimal features BUT she has that horrible brown UPVC windows so the look is somewhat spoiled

[Nikkijah]

I don't know Bauhaus from a hole in the ground but I think that the slender "concrete" columns are actually steel beams placed vertically and encased in enough concrete to give them the right look....forming is not really a problem with this and the final finish can be stucco or waterproof plaster.

Chownah

P.S. Does anyone have a good link for an explanation of Bauhaus? Chownah

Bauhaus

I hope you're right Chownah, I would love to make a Bauhaus home built and not have it fall apart shortly after...

sfokevin

I haven't done any research yet, I wanted to find out if it was possible before I spent too much time on it.

The industrial glass panels would definitely be the right choice but surely they will be the most expensive component of the house. as Chwonah said, the reinforced concrete may in fact be steel beams, would this be a problem in this heat though? Would the steel change size(contract?) and if so then the glass panels wouldn't move with it

[backflip]

The Bauhaus Design Studio was founded by Walter Gropius, a German architect. He believed that to become a better architect, they needed to study outside of their chosen profession. Accordingly, the Bauhuas brought together sculptors, painters, metal workers, textile designers, and furniture makers. Many of the iconic chairs from the early-20th century were designed by architects. If the OP is serious, rather than merely window-shopping, I suggest that he also investigate the De Stijl movement. For architects, I suggest that he study Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohr, Phillip Johnson, the firm of Venturi Scott Brown, and Frank Gehry. The first two architects used steel I-beams and large glass expanses extensively. vd Rohr designed virtually the entire campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology with I-beamed frames (he replaced the large glass expanses with brick. Too, I suggest glancing through both the periodicals "Architectural Digest" and "Architectural Record". The first rag has mostly over-decorated Western homes , but they do cover other interesting architectural styles. The second rag covers mostly commercial buildings, but their annual study of outstanding homes is worth considering.

[Nikkijah]

backflip, I am both window shopping AND serious

I'm fed up with the bland(in my view) designs that are all over this country, the sheer amount of money spent on bland homes in this country is shocking and the styles are straight out of a brochure with not much design thought whatsoever...

Why do I not see more falang building imaginative homes? Is it because of the costs? Is it the worry of shoddy(bad) craftsmanship? Is it planning issues?

[teacup]

This is what I know from my architecture history 101 many moons ago

Bauhaus-style architecture Or aka... known as the International Style based on the concept of when designing the space - form should follow that practical function of the space. This style is heavily user of glass curtain walls, cubic blocks and unsupported corners (possible by the invention of the steel beams during the industrial revolution). In fact I have seen this style used in many of the residential homes for many of the hip/metro Bangkoknians. Look for the construction firm that have their own in-house engineer, I'm sure they will do everything your heart desired, and if this is what you want they will know where to locate that thermal enegy engineer also.

As for example below, this one will cost you around 900,000 bths - from the foundation up - 2 bedrooms + 2 baths

Edited January 14, 2007 by teacup

[chownah]

Bauhaus[/url]

I hope you're right Chownah, I would love to make a Bauhaus home built and not have it fall apart shortly after...

sfokevin

I haven't done any research yet, I wanted to find out if it was possible before I spent too much time on it.

The industrial glass panels would definitely be the right choice but surely they will be the most expensive component of the house. as Chwonah said, the reinforced concrete may in fact be steel beams, would this be a problem in this heat though? Would the steel change size(contract?) and if so then the glass panels wouldn't move with it

It is the change in temperatures that causes expansion and contraction of construction materials. Thailand has air temperature fluctuations are much smaller than in northerrn Europe or northern America so there would be less of a problem here...and besides...it seems that I remember from my studies that steel and concrete havesimilar rates of expansion and contraction with temperature which is one reason why they work so well together....I should probably go google for this to see if my memory is correct.

Thanks for the link....I'll go check it out.

Chownah

Edited January 14, 2007 by chownah

[Nikkijah]

Bauhaus[/url]

I hope you're right Chownah, I would love to make a Bauhaus home built and not have it fall apart shortly after...

sfokevin

I haven't done any research yet, I wanted to find out if it was possible before I spent too much time on it.

The industrial glass panels would definitely be the right choice but surely they will be the most expensive component of the house. as Chwonah said, the reinforced concrete may in fact be steel beams, would this be a problem in this heat though? Would the steel change size(contract?) and if so then the glass panels wouldn't move with it

It is the change in temperatures that causes expansion and contraction of construction materials. Thailand has air temperature fluctuations are much smaller than in northerrn Europe or northern America so there would be less of a problem here...and besides...it seems that I remember from my studies that steel and concrete havesimilar rates of expansion and contraction with temperature which is one reason why they work so well together....I should probably go google for this to see if my memory is correct.

Thanks for the link....I'll go check it out.

Chownah

But what about the changes in the concrete & steel versus the glass panels? This is the more worrying thing...

teacup, thanks for that illustration, its very comforting to know that such a design is possible for such a good price! The style of the house in this illustration is not quite the right style for me but it is still a good marker for my research, do you have any contact details for the business that makes these homes?

Thanks for your post, it gives me hope!

[redwood13]

Steel in 20th Century Architecture

-redwood

[teacup]

teacup, thanks for that illustration, its very comforting to know that such a design is possible for such a good price! The style of the house in this illustration is not quite the right style for me but it is still a good marker for my research, do you have any contact details for the business that makes these homes?

Thanks for your post, it gives me hope!

Give me a few day I'm sure I can come up with a few, or You can get a hold of BKK yellow pages under construction section and start asking for the firms with in-house engineer

Disclosure: Just want to let you know ahead I have no connections with these firms. However at least you will be running along in the right direction

[Nikkijah]

teacup, thanks for that illustration, its very comforting to know that such a design is possible for such a good price! The style of the house in this illustration is not quite the right style for me but it is still a good marker for my research, do you have any contact details for the business that makes these homes?

Thanks for your post, it gives me hope!

Give me a few day I'm sure I can come up with a few, or You can get a hold of BKK yellow pages under construction section and start asking for the firms with in-house engineer

Disclosure: Just want to let you know ahead I have no connections with these firms. However at least you will be running along in the right direction

Great, thanks for your help teacup

[teacup]

Ok I have another one. This one is not 100% Bauhaus but an adaptation of the style

The living area is about 215 talang meters, and cost around 3,000,000 bths for the construction

I'm sure you can change the area #9 (not included in the price) to become a pool instead of a courtyard (which is not included in the price), or you might want to pop up additional roof over the area #9 for more shade especially if you have small children and want to use the area for a play area courtyard

Edited January 14, 2007 by teacup

[chownah]

But what about the changes in the concrete & steel versus the glass panels? This is the more worrying thing...

Gosh! I hadn't thought of that....I guess this style of house is impossible to build because of the difference in expansion between glass and concrete or steel!! What do you think it means that you have pictures of houses that can't be built....is it a Photoshop conspiracy????!!!!!!!!!

hahahahahahhaha,

Chownah

Edited January 14, 2007 by chownah

[backflip]

I wouldn't worry about planning issues in Thailand...

Most farangs have little consideration for architecture, choosing what's easiest. Too, many farangs - and most builders - are familiar with the common construction vernacular (brick, concrete, and bad paint). Finally, most farangs will choose the cheapest construction available (brick, concrete, and bad paint) - purchase, and transport of 50 foot steel beams, and hundreds of square feet of laminated glass is not for those with thin wallets or weak hearts. Check out Phillip Johnson's compound in Connecticut. Wow!

[Nikkijah]

But what about the changes in the concrete & steel versus the glass panels? This is the more worrying thing...

Gosh! I hadn't thought of that....I guess this style of house is impossible to build because of the difference in expansion between glass and concrete or steel!! What do you think it means that you have pictures of houses that can't be built....is it a Photoshop conspiracy????!!!!!!!!!

hahahahahahhaha,

Chownah

Cheers Chownah...

I've got absolutely no idea about construction - only what I would love to have as a house, any ideas about how this problem is overcome??

And as you mentioned in a previous post, this could be an issue, do you have more clues for me?

As most of the houses I've seen photos of are in N. America the conditions are surely different to here...

Edited January 14, 2007 by Nikkijah

[turnip]

This thread seems to have really taken off. Great to see there are so many people are interested in designing something special, rather than just the getting a building that doesn’t fall down!

The following link gives a good introduction to Bauhaus architecture and has a few photos

http://architecture.about.com/library/blgl...m?terms=bauhaus

There isn’t so much on the net, although there quite a bit about modernist buildings. I have a book Bauhaus by Ulf Meyer – bought in the UK. It is quite good. I also have NorCalMod which has some cool North Californian modern homes, some of which have a Bauhaus influence.

I think the philosophy behind Bauhaus Architecture is very suited to Thai sensibilities. Ornate, fussy buildings are traditionally reserved for temples and palaces. Normal Thai’s are a very practical people and their traditional architecture is designed around practical, multifunctional open spaces, as is Bauhaus.

Some of the pictures that were posted (developer villas and resort bungalows) aren’t Bauhaus. They’re contemporary villas that seems to be in fashion here at the moment. I quite like the style, but I keep going back to Bauhaus because of the ideas behind it, as well as the visual style. I want to build a house where I spend the money on the design, engineering and quality materials, rather than the “tropical” trim. I always wonder what some of these’s villas will look like in ten years time? Hopefully when I get kicked off the land in 30 years time, the pineapple farmer’s son who inherits the house I built will enjoy it. (I was also thinking of building a traditional wooden knockdown house so I can take it with me – maybe knockdown Bauhaus is the way to go!!! ).

For me it’s Bauhaus-inspired and not to be too anal about it. Metal work is not bad here. But if I end up using concrete structures if it's more suited to the location. so be it. The driving force behind Bauhuas was practicality and function - so that should be the first consideration when choosing building materials

Still researching, and land searching, so haven’t done any costing yet. The design and illustration of the 900,000baht house was quite interesting. Is that a thai built pre-fab house? Any other details about the manufacturer would be helpful.

[Nikkijah]

dead right turnip, great to see some interest in something slightly different!

When I come back later I've got some great photos I sourced this afternoon...

Nikkijah