Casa de Alisa is a two-story residence located in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The architects from Stu/D/O Architects chose concrete, in its material and structural capacity, as the founding concept of this project. The internal spaces are solely created by the structural concrete walls that surround and enclose the interiority. These planes combine to create an architecture that protects the living areas from the context outside, frames the “selected” nature, and maintains privacy inside. These planes connect the sky above, the concrete, the river, and the garden below, adding to the feeling of austerity inside.
The cast concrete planes serve as a visual and acoustic buffer between the site and the nearby neighbourhood, as well as a sound barrier from the nearby public road. The semi-public living quarters, which are divided into two levels, are on the ground floor and comprise numerous thresholds that blur the boundaries between indoor and exterior areas as well as garden-pool living, while the top level is where the residents’ private quarters are located. To guarantee privacy and distinguish each confined space, the planes that separate each living space express the internal programme and function. On the other hand, the second-37-meter-long floor’s cantilevered plane serves as both the residence’s main façade and a unifying “backdrop” for all of the individual quarters.
The materiality of exposed concrete is utilized in all its aspects; the wood framework leaves an imprint of its grain on the concrete as a permanent reminder of the construction process, while its texture is enhanced with lightwells and skylights. Cast on site, various experiments on formwork and texture were carried out to establish the fundamental material and character of the residence.
The concrete planes on the ground level sit perpendicular to the site, while the walls on the second floor intersect at the opposite axis. The point of intersection between these two opposite planes provides the main structural system throughout the project. This pure structural composition allows for the architecture to be reduced to its absolute minimum, while also allowing for efficient construction and assembly time. The result is an architecture that is somewhat monolithic in its exterior, as its concrete slabs appear to be levitating from the ground while containing a sense of place and home within its interiority.
