• Building in Brick 4/4

  Onion
  

   

   

   

   

  Bangkok, Thailand
  

  Influenced by the rich heritage of brick temples in the country, Thai practice Onion are interested in both the craft and climate-control possibilities of brick, as their Design Director Arisara Chaktranon explains.

• What do you like about brick as a material?
  What are its unique qualities from your point of view?
  
  

   

   

  »We like brick as a module of material and construction because it is rustic and durable. It is common but not generic in Thailand. Brick colours reflect different localities and different modes of production.  The beauty of constructing a brick wall is based mainly on the skills of craftsmen challenged by our designs. We are often surprised by their precision and the unexpected spatial effects, such as the constant movement of shade and shadows on the wall.«

   

   

  Previous page: The Bric a Brac “wall holder” constructed from traditional Thai materials, which serves as both wall and storage facility; produced for Milan Design Week, 2015. (All photos courtesy Onion)

• With their playful geometry, the walls at the entrance to the Sala Ayutthaya Hotel in Thailand (2014) were designed to frame the sky as guests approach the building and cast constantly changing shadows throughout the day. Whilst this outside space belongs to a new boutique hotel, it was intended to explicity demonstrate the deftness of traditional local brick craftmanship which can also be seen at nearby temples.

• • Onion is a Bangkok-based design practice founded in 2007 by Siriyot Chaiamnuay and Arisara Chaktranon. The two designers carry out a continuous exploration aimed at different needs for contemporary life styles. Onion brings the local craftsmen to explore the new techniques of using local materials. Together, they constantly push the boundaries of spatial designs in order to form a unified approach to retail and living experiences. The studio’s portfolio includes a variety of products ranging from interior objects such as handmade lamps, chairs and tables to architectural designs such as the Sala boutique hotels at various locations.  
    
    onion.co.th

  Are there any particular references that you come
  back to when using brick in your architecture?

   

   

  »Our main influences are the brick buildings of the Phutthai Sawan Temple in Samphao Lom. They were built in the fourteenth century by King Ramathibodi I of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. We are impressed by the brick layering patterns, the solidity of masses and the formal qualities of these buildings. They hold images of the past that we can identify with. You can see this particularly in our new hotel Sala Ayutthaya, which is sited near the temple.«

   I
  

   

  about onion

• COVER

  COVER

  Cover

  Bricks
• Table of contents

  Table of contents
• EDITORIAL

  EDITORIAL

  Editorial

  Bricks
• ESSAY

  ESSAY

  A Brick in the Stomach

  Max Borka on the home-loving Belgians

  Text: Max Borka
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Trümmerfrauen

  The women who cleared the debris of Berlin

  Text: Fiona Shipwright
• VIEWPOINT

  VIEWPOINT

  H Architectes, Barcelona, Spain

  Architects on building in brick 1/4

  Text: Florian Heilmeyer
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Walls of Faith

  Arthur Shoosmith’s New Delhi church

  Text: Rob Wilson
• VIEWPOINT

  VIEWPOINT

  Baumschlager Eberle, Lustenau, Austria

  Architects building in brick 2/4

  Text: Florian Heilmeyer
• ESSAY

  ESSAY

  Catching the Curve

  Eladio Dieste and the brick by Florencia Rodríguez

  Text: Florencia Rodríguez
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Collective Constructs

  Olafur Eliasson’s Collectivity Project

  Text: Sophie Lovell
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Wall-E

  Gramazio & Kohler’s masonry robots

  Text: Fiona Shipwright
• FOCUS

  FOCUS

  Trapped by History

  The new genre of stylish salvage

  Text: Sara Faezypour, Sophie Lovell, Rob Wilson
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Breaking Point

  On the art of blowing up buildings

  Text: Fiona Shipwright
• VIEWPOINT

  VIEWPOINT

  Sergison Bates Architects, London, UK

  Architects on building in brick 3/4

  Text: Rob Wilson
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Blood Bricks

  Child labour in the kilns of Nepal

  Text: Pete Pattisson
• VIEWPOINT

  VIEWPOINT

  Onion, Bangkok, Thailand

  Architects on building in brick 4/4

  Text: Fiona Shipwright
• FOUND

  FOUND

  Masonry Maximus

  A pile of palaces in Ancient Rome

  Text: Rob Wilson
• PHOTO BOOTH

  PHOTO BOOTH

  In the Photo Booth with...

  Wolf D. Prix

  Text: Philipp Sturm
• KLAUSTOON

  KLAUSTOON

  Klaustoon

  XX. Another Brick in the World
• NEXT

  NEXT

  Next

  Uncanny Valley

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