Located at the edge of a natural pond in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Architect Office, designed by Chiangmai Life Architects (CLA), is conceived as both a workplace and a site-specific architectural response. Rooted in the firm’s values of functionality, sustainability, and well-being, the project is an experimental microcosm of their broader design ethos.
Bamboo Architecture Office Technical Information
- Architects1-10: Chiangmai Life Architects
- Location: 326, T. Nongkwai, A. Hangdong, Chiang Mai 50230, Thailand
- Gross Area: 120 m2 | 1,260 Sq. Ft.
- Completion Year: 2024
- Photographs: © Markus Gortz, © Markus Roselieb
This project embodies our aspiration to create joyful, climate-conscious spaces that elevate everyday experiences through material honesty, environmental harmony, and emotional resonance.
– Chiangmai Life Architects
Bamboo Architecture Office Photographs
Design Intent and Site Integration
The building’s form traces the curvature of the shoreline, a gesture that transcends aesthetic mimicry to engage in a deeper dialogue with its setting. The structure eschews rectilinear imposition in favor of an organic plan that accommodates the site’s contours. The most expressive element, a sweeping bamboo roof that cascades to the ground at the entrance, serves as both an architectural threshold and a structural articulation. This gesture defines the entry sequence, creating a sense of shelter while visually framing the landscape beyond.
The orientation of the building is deliberately calibrated. All interior spaces face the pond, allowing reflected light and seasonal changes to influence the atmosphere within. Rather than inserting itself as an autonomous object, the architecture appears embedded in its surroundings, shaped as much by ecological context as by formal intention.
Spatial Organization and Interior Atmosphere
With an enclosed floor area of 120 square meters, the program is intentionally compact. It includes two open-plan workspaces and a single meeting room, supported by two bathrooms located at the rear. This efficient layout encourages both collaboration and solitude, and is designed to prioritize uninterrupted views and access to daylight.
The spatial hierarchy begins at the entrance, where the dipping bamboo canopy compresses space before revealing the full breadth of the interior. This transitional moment underscores the project’s careful sequencing, creating a threshold between the outside world and the contemplative interior.
Natural light is integral to the experience of the space. Sunlight reflecting off the water animates the interior walls with ephemeral patterns, creating a dynamic surface condition that changes throughout the day. A restrained palette of earthen tones and natural textures supports this phenomenological quality. The design intentionally avoids artificial visual complexity, instead relying on the material’s presence and light modulation.
During evening hours, concealed LED lighting gently reinforces the building’s rhythm without disrupting the ambient character. The lighting design avoids theatrical effects, instead opting for quiet illumination that complements the organic form.
Material Strategy and Construction Logic
Material selection in the Architect Office extends beyond questions of sustainability to consider tactility, cultural relevance, and construction logic. The primary materials, treated bamboo and adobe bricks, anchor the building in a tradition of low-impact architecture, while simultaneously supporting contemporary performance standards.
The bamboo roof spans over twice the area of the enclosed floor space, covering approximately 290 square meters. Its scale and curvature are both expressive and pragmatic, shedding rain efficiently and shading the interiors throughout the day. The treatment of the bamboo enhances its durability without compromising its visual or textural qualities.
Adobe bricks, used for the walls, provide thermal mass and breathable surfaces. The combination of adobe, wattle and daub infill, and lime plaster reflects a commitment to handcraft and environmental sensitivity. Floors are finished with tinted terrazzo concrete, offering a subtle counterpoint to the earth-toned palette.
All windows and doors are fabricated from recycled hardwood. This decision reinforces the building’s resource-conscious approach, while contributing to a sense of solidity and craft. Rather than being concealed, the material junctions are clearly expressed, underscoring the architectural honesty of the detailing.
Environmental Performance and Contextual Relevance
Despite the project’s rural setting and modest footprint, it integrates several performance-driven systems that respond to both local climate and global technological needs. The envelope, composed of breathable adobe and ventilated roof layers, provides passive thermal comfort for most of the year. However, Chiang Mai’s seasonal air quality challenges necessitated the integration of high-efficiency air conditioning and air purification systems, provided by Chiangmai Airtec.
This hybrid approach acknowledges the limits of passive strategies in compromised environmental conditions. Rather than relying solely on natural ventilation, the architects have adapted their bioclimatic ideals to the realities of an urbanizing and ecologically stressed region. It is a pragmatic gesture that does not negate the project’s environmental aspirations but recontextualizes them within a broader understanding of performance and health.
Equally significant is the inclusion of advanced teleconferencing infrastructure within the meeting room. This move suggests an office not only grounded in its immediate landscape but also globally connected. The decision to embed digital connectivity into a building otherwise defined by handcrafted construction underscores a dual ambition: to remain locally rooted while engaging a dispersed architectural discourse.
Bamboo Architecture Office Plans
Bamboo Architecture Office Image Gallery
About Chiangmai Life Construction
Chiangmai Life Architects (CLA) is a Thailand-based architecture studio led by Markus Roselieb and Tosapon Sittiwong, known for integrating traditional craftsmanship with contemporary sustainable design. Specializing in natural materials such as bamboo and adobe, CLA crafts context-responsive architecture that strikes a balance between environmental performance and cultural relevance. Their work emphasizes bioclimatic principles, low-carbon construction, and a deep engagement with local building traditions.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Lead Architects: Markus Roselieb, Tosapon Sittiwong
- Contractor: Chiangmai Life Construction (CLC)
- Roof Plan Area: 290 m²
- Client: Chiangmai Life Architects
- Roof: Treated bamboo
- Walls: Adobe bricks, wattle & daub, lime plaster
- Windows & Doors: Recycled hardwood
- Floors: Tinted terrazzo concrete
- Construction Techniques: Handcrafted, low-carbon footprint methods
- Carbon Footprint: Minimal
