TT-VILLA BY WE ARCHITECTURE

THE LUXURY OF THE SURROUNDINGS

Designing in perfect surroundings asks for a building which gives optimal experiences of the environment. This is the case with TT-villa which is situated on a west facing hillside near the sea, among vigorous vegetation which spans from tall palm trees and rhododendron to orchids and lotus flowers. The luxury of the surroundings is the corner stone of this project. We have tried to create a building where both interior and exterior has equal contact to nature and sea. An inhabitable oasis in the midst of the wild, with the commodities of modern living.

STEP 1-2-3

The building site is situated on a steep rocky terrain, between the road on the upper part of the hill and the beach 100 meters below. As a stair, sometimes hovering above nature, and sometimes carved into the rock, the building steps down the hill providing interior and exterior access between the arrival on the top of the building and the beach below. Along these paths the layout of the house provides terraces connected to the different functions of the building. Nature can grow unobstructed between the building volumes. The dramatic spans and sharp geometry of the building creates a counterbalance to the embracing nature.

ORGANIZATION

We have chosen to split the program of the house into three categories. These are divided on three floors with the most public functions on top, close to where you enter the building. Semi private functions in the middle and the most private functions at the lower level.

LIFE BETWEEN NATURE

Instead of having a backside as in a traditional cliff side villa the building is now placed with views both towards the sea and the green rocky slope. The vegetation grows between the different floors of the building blurring the notion of what is inside and outside.

SUN TERRACES

Surrounded by vegetation on all sides on all sides the sun terraces are posed as a piece of domesticated nature on the inaccessible slope. The upper terrace becomes a “mirador” that greets you welcome at your arrival to the house. An ideal place for enjoying a sunset. The central terrace, closely connected to the kitchen is laid out with exterior bar, barbecue and dining facilities. The lower terrace (in connection with the living room) features a pool and space for sunbathing.

TERRACE IN THE SHADE

As an addition to the outdoor spaces the interior of the house can work as covered terraces. The rooms have panoramic sliding windows and can open up letting in the breeze from the sea.

CLOSED
While closed the blindings provide both shade and intimacy without obstructing the magnificent views surrounding the house. The house becomes a shaded hideout from where you can sit among the vigorous vegetation overlooking the sea.

SEMI-OPEN
Folding up the blindings provides framed views while still having spaces in the hidden. The blinding system ensures protection from the sun.

OPEN
Opening up the blinding system completely, gives you picturesque views still not allowing the sun to enter the house. Opening the sliding windows converts your living, dining or bedroom into covered terraces.

CIRCULATION

The house is vertically connected by spiralling stairs where the building volumes meet. The circulation is a continuous movement connecting the top of the building where you arrive with the beach below. As in the interior, the exterior circulation connects the top of the hill with the sea in the bottom. The path serves as a connector between the terraces on the roofs of the building. Description of Architects.

Location: Phuket, Thailand

Architect: WE Architecture

Collaborator: Uwe Wuterich

Project Team: Marc Jay, Julie Schmidt-Nielsen, Hochung Kim

Area: 450 m2

Year: 2009

HILTON PATTAYA LANDSCAPING BY TROP

Pattaya is a two hour drive from Bangkok. Historically, it was famous for beautiful long beach and unobstructed sea view. However, lacking local regulations, the beach is now crowded with nightclubs and bars.

In order to avoid the noisy beach, Hilton Pattaya, a 200 room hotel, is a floating full-service hotel above a multi-use shopping, dining and cinema complex. 

TROP, a landscape architectural design studio, is responsible for creating an urban sanctuary hidden from chaotic beach below.

The designer’s goal is to re-connect the landscape with Pattaya's beautiful sea view. Because of the limited area, they had to re-organise the overall spatial structure of the garden.

Strategically, the designers divided the garden into three main components. The first component is the sand court. This sand court is also the arrival area.

Only two materials are used in the design, sand and green land-form. Sand is chosen because of its relationship with ocean and beach.

It is also used as a piece of canvas for all the hotel’s installations throughout a year. The second is the sun deck. To maximise the garden area, another 'Layer of Landscape' is added on top of the gym and toilets.

Their roofs are extended and connected with the hotel’s 17th Floor, 1 floor above the lobby. The result is a reasonable-size deck with a direct access from the hotel.

Instead of walking through the lobby, guests can walk directly to the pool area. The infinity pool is strategically placed at the edge of the roof, making its water visually connected with the ocean below.

It is designed as one big sheet of water with lap pool, fun pool, jacuzzi maze, and a kids pool hidden underneath the same water surface. 

Inspired by a school of shiny fish, they added fibre optic lighting to the bottom of the pol.

So, at night, the it glows like those silvery fish giving the same effect as stars. Combining the three components together, they managed to create a true hidden sanctuary above Pattaya’s Skyline.

VILLA AMANZI BY ORIGINAL VISION

 

Situata nella costa in Kamala, con le sue scogliere, le foreste tropicali e le acque cristalline è una dei luoghi più suggestivi dell’isola di Phuket in Tailandia, ritornata al suo splendore dopo il terribile tsunami del 26 dicembre 2006.

Situata nella costa in Kamala, con le sue scogliere, le foreste tropicali e le acque cristalline è una dei luoghi più suggestivi dell’isola di Phuket in Tailandia, ritornata al suo splendore dopo il terribile tsunami del 26 dicembre 2006.

La Villa è completamente immersa nel verde, con accanto una cascata d’acqua, a strapiombo sull’Oceano Indiano protetta da pareti verticali di roccia.

Disegnata da Adrian McCarroll, Waiman Cheung, Jamie Jamieson della Original Vision Ltd nel 2008, villa Amanzi è una perfetta combinazione tra spazio naturale e spazio architettonico come esaltazione e compenetrazione dell’uno nell’altro in un gioco spettacolare che rende omaggio alla magia del luogo.

La villa è sviluppata in un’area di oltre 2600 mq. per una superficie abitativa di circa 800 mq. articolati tra spazi aperti, patio, logge e una piscina a getto sul mare lunga 15 metri, e spazi privati che godono della vista e della aerazione naturale del luogo. 

“The site is one of the two most important elements to us. In Villa Amanzi, the site provided a very rare opportunity of making the outdoor environment completely meld with the villa so that the two have become one.  The stunning view, the treacherous rock face and the natural tropical landscape are all completely assimilated in the design.” Adrian McCarroll architect.

La presenza della cascata, il rapporto con l’ambiente e l’ortogonalità degli spazi, rimandano alla Casa Kaufmann di Frank Lloyd Wright di cui il progetto della Original Vision sembra la naturale evoluzione.

Oggi la villa fa parte del vicino Paresa Resort ed è affittabile per un massimo di 12 persone al prezzo di $2000 in bassa stagione e in alta a $4500 al giorno.