A vacant apartment rooftop featuring nothing but a few water tanks has been fitted out with a striking new home for the building’s owner, though you won’t see it unless you know what you’re looking for. Concealed from view to passersby, The Skyscape by local firm WARchitect uses wooden materials and clean, straight lines to create a “borderless” box for a home with plenty of pop.
The five-story apartment building in Bangkok’s Jatujak district was previously topped by a largely empty space (water tanks aside). The owner sought out the services of WARchitect to use the concrete surface as the foundation for his new home 15 meters (49 ft) above street level, but completely invisible from public roads.
“We wanted it to be just a borderless box that emerges out of nowhere in the sky, as if the thickness of the wall and roof were non-existent, but still able to make holes in the ceiling to install curtains, air conditioners, and embed lights,” say the architects. “Our intention was to give an illusion to onlookers that the entire ceiling was in the same straight line even though we featured a drop ceiling and a slope that was intentionally used to make the wall and ceiling look thin.”
The home is designed predominantly for the owner’s private use rather than a space to entertain guests, featuring a central courtyard that is visible from anywhere in the house. Also inside is a dining area, living room, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom with panoramic views via a large glass sliding door.
The warm wooden tones come through the heavy use of balau boards, a native Asian hardwood, which the owner had handy and features natural deformations, cracks and uneven colors to create a rustic timber charm.
WARchitect perches a “borderless” wooden home atop an apartment block in Bangkok [New Atlas]