The building is located on a 300 square-meter plot of land. This long and narrow plot requires an in-depth organization of the building.  The façade of the building faces south while the other side faces east The neighboring building is a car care center which belongs to the same owner. Since the space of the car care center is too limited, mainly because of the closed coating area where protection from dust is much needed, a new space is necessary for project expansion.

This project is in Muang Thong Thani, a large community in Nonthaburi, a suburb of Bangkok. The building consists of 4 small containers (2.34x2.40x6.00) and 4 large containers (2.34x2.40x12.00). The ground floor provides space for a coating area, parking and storage. The second floor is planned for a restaurant with a separate multi-purpose area for a future bar. There is a stairway outside the building for customers who may not wish to walk pass the car care service inside the building. The third floor is an office. The total utility space is 330 square meters.

The building exterior is painted in matte black but the interior is white as the two colours create different perceptions. The inner most part is a residential area for staff. The arrangement of these containers has harmony in design with different sizes of square holes that function as windows and doors. The west façade and the roof have metal sunshades to reflect sunlight and protect the building from the heat. Lighting design relies on 131 tubes fluorescent lamps that spread throughout the building on the customized metal railings.

Today, using container for construction is very popular because it is a cheap construction material: easy to find and can be adapted in various ways. Without a need for any over-decoration, just some coloring and adaptation, the most importance is honesty with the material’s authenticity.

Project name                  : Muangthongthani Carcare

Architect                         : Archimontage Design Fields Sophisticated

Location                         : Nonthaburi, Thailand

Architect in Charge        : Cherngchai Riawruangsangkul, Thanakit Wiriyasathit

Area                               : 330 sq.m.

Project Year                   : 2019

Photographs                  : Chaovarith Poonphol Photography