A mini-chalet in Thailand, coated with charred wood

A small building in the forest is the cultural manifesto of a craftsmanship attentive to environmental issues and genius loci.

Sher Maker, Wood and Mountain, Mae Rim, Chiangmai, Thailandia 2021. Foto: Rungkit Charoenwat Sher Maker, Wood and Mountain, Mae Rim, Chiangmai, Thailandia 2021. Foto: Rungkit Charoenwat

Sher Maker, Wood and Mountain, Mae Rim, Chiangmai, Thailand 2021. Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat ground floor and first floor

Sher Maker, Wood and Mountain, Mae Rim, Chiangmai, Thailand 2021. Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat entrance elevation

Sher Maker, Wood and Mountain, Mae Rim, Chiangmai, Thailand 2021. Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat section

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Chiara Testoni
27 October 2021
Mae Rim, Chiangmai, Thailandia
Sher Maker
100 smq
chalet
2021

In the "Wood and Mountain" cabin in the forest of northern Thailand, Sher Maker architects have carefully integrated a contemporary compositional approach with a craft culture in which design and construction are interconnected, seamless processes. The building is a simple rectangular construction suspended on stilts, delicately set in a context of enveloping vegetation.
The space is intimate and welcoming: on the ground floor there are living room, terrace, bathroom and pantry; on the first floor there are corridor and bedroom.

The design approach is a tribute to vernacular architecture and to the profession of the owner, a manufacturer of furniture: the shell, supported by a metal structure, is made entirely of local wood - in reference to the owner who produces furniture - coherently with the local tradition. The external surfaces are screened on three sides to guarantee intimacy and recollection, while a large window on the front opposite the entrance offers a generous view of the landscape from the terrace and the openings on the first floor.