ACA Architects renovated Dor-Shada Resort adding Lightness and protection

Project description by ACA Architects

Dorshada resort is a beachfront resort located in Chonburi, Thailand, consist of 4 types of contemporary Thai-style buildings. This project is to re-facade an existing inland 5 stories hotel building as the client wanted to have a modern luxury architectural style to attract younger age tourists and new customers.  

As the strong selling point of Dorshada resort is Thai design characteristic, along with the composition of Thai-style buildings, so our designing team decided to keep the accent of “Thainess” and combined with modern architectural design. The interpretation of “Thainess” may not come from the Thai gable roof line nor by golden graceful decorations but from emphasizing the sense of space, lightness, a delicacy in detail, and harmony with nature.

The existing building lay parallel along northwest and southeast axis so one side of the guest room will directly emit strong and hot ray of sunlight in the summer and the rain will be a dash in when the rainy season comes, thus, the exterior screen to filtrate sun-ray and strong wind were needed. The vertical screens in front of the room balcony are made from lathe timber with Thai internode pattern by using traditional wood turning techniques and all of them were made by local villagers.

For the ceiling screen, the cantilever wood-pattern aluminum screens were introduced to reduce the additional weight to the existing structure and remain warm timber-like feeling. By adding these architectural elements, a suitable space was created for the guest who stays in this hotel. “Lightness” is the main idea we wanted to deliberately explore during our design process to restore the 10 years old bulky concrete building to become lighter and harmony with the surrounding nature.

“Awareness” of natural phenomena such as sunrise and sunset in a different season, sea breeze, wind and squall, and natural material aging were created by the repetition of vertical timber screens and horizontal aluminum screen. Communication between nature and architecture was evoked when sun ray interpenetrates through layers of the aluminum screen and when the sunshade on the pattern of vertical timber screen in a different time and angle, we will aware of space and time through architecture.