Dezeen Magazine

Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)

All(zone) nestles concrete holiday home among trees in rural Thailand

Architecture studio All(zone) has created Under the Rain Trees, a holiday house with five curved wings nestled under tree canopies on the banks of the River Ping in rural Thailand.

Under the Rain Trees was designed by All(zone) to seamlessly fit into the natural landscape without disturbing the existing trees.

View of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
All(zone) has created an apartment building in rural Thailand

The dwelling features five wings that each fan out towards the surrounding forest. Connected by a central hall, several wings accommodate the owner, three hold guest apartments and the final wing has a shared living space, the studio said.

Crafted from concrete, with sleek glass walls and elevated on stilts, the design nods to tropical modernism.

Aerial view of apartment block in rural Thailand
It comprises five curved wings

The typology of the apartments in the building was informed by Thai vernacular homes found near water, with wooden rooms floating on an elevated platform in the tree canopy as a practical response to the region's fluctuating river tides.

"The shade of tree's canopies already creates a nearly perfect climatic condition for living," the studio told Dezeen. "The ground [is] mostly untouched, allowing wild vegetations to merge with the house."

Curved roof of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
It was intended to fit into the natural landscape

Displaying hallmarks of tropical modernism, the building's form is reminiscent of works such as architect Lina Bo Bardi's Glass House and architect Oscar Niemeyer's Casa Das Canoas.

The design employs a tiered approach to enclosure, with the central platform entirely open to the elements. The building's five wings are progressively more enclosed, with dark stone walls transitioning into sheet glass that gives views across the landscape.

"The enclosure of each wing is gradually dissolved, from solid masses surrounding open platform at the centre to [a] completely open platform surrounded by the leaves," explained the studio.

The structure's roof mirrors the contours of the floor below, with curves extending gently upward at each wing's end, helping to connect the building to its verdant surroundings.

Interior of Thai apartment building by All(zone)
The design references vernacular riverside houses

A roof terrace acts as a communal piazza, offering proximity to the treetops and sky.

Internally, Under the Rain Trees continues to mirror the spatial typology of vernacular riverside houses, with each apartment conceived as a separate boxed dwelling.

Interior of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Large portions of glass give views across the landscape

Each apartment has its ancillary spaces to the rear and its bedrooms and living spaces at the ends of each wing in the glass areas, maximising natural light and views across the river's edge.

All(zone) is a Bangkok studio led by Rachaporn Choochuey. The studio is the latest designer for the ninth edition of MPavilion in Melbourne, creating a bright orange canopy that celebrates outdoor life in the city.

Elsewhere in Thailand, CUP Scale Studio has created a compact pocket cafe with curved walls of reclaimed wood in Nakhon Sawan, and PHTAA has completed a pink-hued house in with glass walls in Bangkok.

The photography is by Soopakorn Srisakul.

More images and plans

Site plan of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Site plan
Floor plan of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Floor plan
Roof of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
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Section of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
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Isometric drawing of Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Isometric
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Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)
Under the Rain Trees by All(zone)