This story is from Habitus #62 – find out more and subscribe here!
Thoughts of living in Thailand conjure images of rustic bungalows near the beach or large hotels towering over the landscape. However, The Brickhouse defies these ubiquitous visions and makes a unique statement in its form, materiality and sustainability credentials.
The Brickhouse is a substantial 525-square-metre built structure on a 988-square-metre site and is anything but typical. With deference to mid-century design, this is a residence that captivates and delights, all while being sustainably sound and sitting beautifully in its surroundings.
Patrick Keane, principal of Enter Projects Asia and lead on the project, has created a slice of paradise within the Laguna Homes estate in Bangtao, and, formed from brick, this home is quite exceptional. While there is a blending of Thai and international residential architecture in this home, local craftsmanship is on display and celebrated.
The residence is designed around a courtyard that helps thermally restrict the use of air-conditioning but also becomes the heart of the home where family and friends can gather. As a single-level structure on a deep rectangular block, the planning includes three bedrooms and bathrooms, the main bedroom suite and a study positioned along each side of the floorplan, with kitchen, living and dining rooms across the rear.
From the public areas, there is a view of the 18-metre, free-form pool that encompasses the site’s width. The spatial layout is simple and form follows function with an easy flow throughout and around all areas.
Keane elaborates: “We were always looking to remove the default house template, suburban room arrangements with their clear front and back, and the prescriptive dichotomy of outside versus inside as we developed the functions of the project.”
However, what makes The Brickhouse singular is the materiality – the bricks. Made to order, these locally sourced bricks bring solidity, warmth, texture and colour to the design and are the obvious continuum within the home. The motif of the arch, both fully or partially formed and angled, dominates. Glass bricks sit beside clay bricks and have been laid in a solid or breeze block-inspired pattern bringing relief and lightness to the design.
While bricks become both the exterior and interior decoration, a slightly sloping aluminium shingle roof has been included, making deep eaves that overhang the perimeter of the building into the courtyard that provides shelter from the elements.
The Brickhouse reveres materiality. There are swathes of bricks that either fully or partially cover walls and they appear much like draped fabric, allowing for glimpses of a room and landscape or a place that is open or private. Even the front wall to the street creates interest as the pattern is echoed in the entrance façade and the garage at the side. “In the design process, we wanted to give the house a form, but also make it formless. The bricks simultaneously build up the walls and erode into openings and breezeways,” says Keane.
While bricks dominate, engineered marine plywood has been used within and has become a ceiling feature. The timber ceilings rise upwards in a gentle curve that creates another dimension of space, whether in the kitchen, the bathrooms, or the living areas. Green slate tiles add to the limited and authentic material palette but also bring a dash of colour to bathrooms.
Along with the structural innovation in the building, sustainability is at the forefront of this design. Keane is a great advocate of sustainability and generally works with rattan in the design of his products, installations and projects. For The Brickhouse and the client, it was imperative to design a home that would be environmentally friendly.
While the home’s design creates excellent airflow, as the entire residence can be opened to catch the breeze, using porous bricks allows the structure to breathe. Solar has been included and is so effective that there are no electricity bills, and there is a hybrid water heater for internal use and an EV charging station for the car. Landscaping is concise but appropriate, with small pocket gardens of local flora and the few large central trees in the courtyard.
“I think the conventional approach of a house with four walls can be turned upside down – or at least inside out. It’s better for Australasian climates, where the focus should be on outdoor living,” remarks Keane.
While there is so much to recommend about The Brickhouse, through sustainability, locally sourced materials, and artisanal participation, it is the concept and design of the home that are exceptional. With attention to every detail, this is a residence that celebrates living with style and panache.
Keane and his team at Enter Projects Asia have created an outstanding exemplar of residential design in The Brickhouse where authenticity, (not so simple) simplicity, and materiality all combine and contribute to the success of this exceptional home.
