[ad_1]
Bull Cooking School/Chiangmai Life Architects
Text description provided by the architect. Zabb e Lee started as a traditional Thai cooking school in Chiang Mai’s Old Town. When the business grew, the owners, a young local couple, expanded the operation to a satellite site in the middle of rice fields on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. To maintain a natural feel, they asked Chiang Mai Living Architects to design and build a cooking class pavilion, called a “sala” in Thai, out of bamboo. Its charm, functionality and Instagram exposure proved such a success with clients that the owners commissioned a second “double dome” and then a third.
The third location is at the small side end of the property between a large tree and a small pond. The challenge was to optimize this location within the site, bringing everything together in an attractive and welcoming way and accommodating all the space required for teaching. The lobby must provide enough space for 10 food preparation stations, 10 cooking stations and a large dining table.
The front could be seen from anywhere in the house, while the back had to have some view of the neighboring rice fields. Since there is a big tree on one side and a pond on the other side, which reduces the available span, we designed the main body into a U shape to increase the covered space. Then, as the design lines flow, a bull’s head with sharp horns appears. So while the Double Dome is a rather calm and balanced structure, the Bull is very dynamic and immediately attracts attention.
The upward corner creates a welcoming entrance, leading to two dome-shaped spaces connected by a longer space that creates three distinct areas for the three functions of preparation, cooking and dining. The base of the dome is intersecting bamboo arches made of bundled bamboo poles. This design gives the interior space a larger feel than the exterior form. Natural colors and smooth lines create a warm and harmonious atmosphere, which is further enhanced in the evening by strategically placed lighting. Since the main material is bamboo, which absorbs carbon dioxide during growth, the carbon footprint is zero or negative.
[ad_2]
Source link