Open House | Klein Dytham Architecture

Open House

Open House is located in the Central Embassy complex 50m above Bangkok. The 35 storey Central Embassy project, designed by Amanda Levete fully opened in May with the completion of the Park Hyatt Hotel and Open House. Within the latter’s vast 4,600sqm double-height interior, a village of spaces has been created, each with a familiar human scale – restaurants, lounges, bars, galleries, stores, pop-ups, libraries and workspaces that all seamlessly work together. A space that anyone can feel comfortable in, feel at home in, spend all day in, relax in and be inspired in. A place to hang out, a place to play, a place to catch up on work and a place to eat and drink.

Photography by © Ketsiree Wongwan

Today’s mega cities – especially in Asia – have turned their back on the people who visit, live and work in them. People are either working, shopping, eating or in transit between spaces. There is nowhere to pause, take a breath, sit or simply get back in control of your senses, especially in the stifling heat of Bangkok. Open House was seen very much as the antidote to this – it is an oasis, a getaway – a place where you can feel at home.
The brief revolved around fourteen restaurants and bars, a bookstore, a co-working space, a kids space and various communal areas. With this many components and functions it became clear right from the outset that navigation was the key to the project. How could we break down this aircraft-hanger-like space into an understandable and seamlessly connected village? By developing a series of towers for each of the restaurants we could:

· Make the restaurants visible from a distance by making the towers act like totems
· Hide the kitchen hoods and ventilation ducts
· Enclose many of the columns with the space and reduce their visual impact

Photography by © Ketsiree Wongwan

The towers are clad in a family of different timber fretwork patterns; the variety in these patterns serves to change the way light passes through the towers as you move through the space. During the day the towers seem more solid while at night they dissolve, creating interesting layering effects and moiré patterns. Mirrored panels on the ceiling around the towers make them appear to extend beyond the space and also break down the immensity of the ceiling.
The bookstore element, rather than being a large square box, is instead linear and weaves its way through the space – a path with rest spots along the way where you can pause and read. A tall book tower anchors the bookshop at one end of the space, and a large double height library wall wraps around at the other end. The bookstore seamlessly integrates into the bar and restaurant spaces and allows people to browse freely. In a world dominated by online book sales, highly curated bookstores like this, which focus on Asian art and culture, are becoming increasingly important and popular now that the physical browsing experience is everything.
An Art Tower sits under the main roof light, which contains a small gallery and a look-out surrounded by trees on top. The internal gallery forms an intimate space within the Open house for art exhibitions. Externally the tower has illuminated shelves for displays and large plain surfaces for future art exhibitions and installations.
Open House also includes ‘the greenhouse’ a co-working space which is located behind the book wall and provides a quieter, more secluded space for working and a suite of meeting rooms. Food and drinks from any one of the restaurants can be ordered and delivered to your desk.

Photography by © Ketsiree Wongwan

The Central Embassy complex is in a surprisingly leafy area of Bangkok, overlooking the British Embassy complex on one side and more green tree tops on the other. We wanted to extend this notion of greenery inside and so suggested that the whole of Open House stay under a huge canopy of leaves. To achieve this and reduce the impact of the extensive white ceiling, we devised a pattern of leaves that spreads cross the whole space. The 9,600 leaves were hand painted over a series of six weeks and collectively create an amazing art work, an iconic and memorable element of the space.
Open House truly is for everyone, a kids play area is another key element of the space along with children friendly restaurants nearby. Activating the space with talks, book signings, culinary workshops etc. is key to keeping the space alive and a vital part of the city. ‘The steps’ seating area allows for this kind of activation very easily, whilst also providing a related seating area when it is not being used for events.
Project Info
Architects: Klein Dytham Architecture
Location: Thailand
Year: 2017
Type: Cultural Center