Guntana's Proposal: HIDDEN

Site Analysis:

          To continue with the previous projects, the research focuses on changes through time (day - night) at Thanon Chan - Sathu Pradit. It shows that in different time, the number of pedestrians on each side of the street is not equal. In daytime, the side with facades facing north is very crowded, due to the sunlight. While in nighttime, the another side becomes more crowded. The purpose of this project is to balance the site in order to bring out communities, which at last benefit the local people.

Library / Theatre:

          On this site of the street, 2 shophouses are modified to be a library in daytime, lighting are used for decoration in order to attract people's attention and bring them to the space. While at night, the facade will be full opened and become a theatre for the customer to come take a seat and enjoy an open-air movie, being projected on the screen across the street.

Restaurant / Residence:

          2 shophouses are modified to be a restaurant on the 1st floor. The main features on this building is a big transformable facades that when it is closed, it will be just a normal shutter, but then when it is opened, it will become a shading device with a pattern to create unique shadow underneath. The upper floor is a flying garden and living space. The vegetables grown in the garden can be used for cooking in the restaurant down stair. The projector on the 3rd floor projects movies to the transformable screen on the facade at night for the customers on the other side of the street.

Guntana's Site Research: Thanon Chan - Sathu Pradit

Guntana's model behind the scenes

Generic Shophouse Model

Adjusted Shophouse Model

Walls are removable. In the same time, each piece can be adjusted and transformed.

Front

Back

Floors are removable. The white pieces represent concrete slabs, the brown pieces are floor finishes. 

Stairs are removable.

Guntana's Shophouse Research: Possible Adjustments & Effects Towards Spaces

TL03 from Guntana Thongpiyapoom on Vimeo.

After some research I found that most of the shophouses in Bangkok were adjusted illegally. What can we do with that? Shouldn't we fix them? Therefore, my research is about possible adjustments those can be apply on shophouse without going against the laws.

Moreover, by adjusting buildings sometimes give effects to the surrounding areas. These are some diagrams, just to show only A FEW examples for how changing, applied on shophouses, can change the spaces.


As some shophouses are having the 1st floor as shops or restaurants, tables and chairs are put in front of the buildings. Which sometimes block the walkway?

Tables and chairs in front of the building

PAST: Awnings MUST be placed 3.25 m high from ground level
PRESENT: Awnings CAN be placed not lower than 3.25 m high from ground level

The awning is places too high that it doesn't protest the passersby from sunlight anymore

Total bigness of the openings MUST be larger than 20% of the total areas of every floor.

LOOPHOLE: Awnings or balconies can be placed outside by put spaces between themselves and neighbor boundaries more than 3 m. But fire exits are not considered as a part of buildings. It can span 1.4 m from the facade without considering about the 3 m rule.

There are many more possibilities to be discovered. By studying these will benefit a lot of people.

Guntana's Documentation and Post-Analysis on GOWL IN THE DARK

GOWL IN THE DARK

Final Installation

Inside The Toilet

The Light is Reflected up to the Ceiling

Glowing Ices

OBSERVATION ON THE PRESENTATION DAY

The First Invitation is Given to The Audiences

From outside, we could see some light coming through the ventilators, the audiences started to be curious whether what was happening inside.

Glowing Ices on the Floor

As the first impact after you get into the space, blue ices made you want to find out why How they were glowing in the dark. Some of the audiences started to use their foot to crack the ices.

They forgot how it is so disgusting when you have wet toilet floor! Its glow made them even forgot that their shoes might get dirty!

The Second Invitation has Arrived

Aj. Cheryl found out what was behind the door. She didn't even notice the black light.

The audiences investigating the space

One by one, the audiences get in to the small toilet, finding out what was inside. 

As for me, this was the moment when I really thought they actually forgot that they were in a dirty male toilet. The colors and light totally changed the space. The cool temperature from ice and tonic water scent totally created a difference.

A Fish in the Toilet

To play with the unexpectation. People don't normally expect to see a fish living in a toilet.

In the same time, the mirror on the wall was reflecting our expressions. I could investigate everyone reaction by it. 

Unconsciously, the audiences fulfilled the installation. They became a part of this work.

DOCUMENTATIONS

What was the first impact after you enter the space?

Changing by time?

Starting to melt

Melted

ONCE THE SHOW ENDS

EROTIC ARCHITECTURE?

After finishing this project, my understanding towards the term "erotic" was changed. At first when I heard the word "erotic", I would think about sexualities and having affairs. To me, eroticism can be an effect that was cast over our mind. It can arouse you to have some kind of feeling whether it is happiness, sadness, anger, or curious. And at the right time, the right place, the right moment, you are allowed to experience those feelings.

As in my project, it is true that there were some unexpected events that made me unable to send out the feeling that I wanted to every audience, but I could say that it was success in the term of gathering people's attention, to make them curious and try to get into the space. The project, once, made them forget what was the space like without the installation. 

Guntana's Installation Drawings: GOWL IN THE DARK

INSTALLATION DRAWINGS

Concept: To lead people to the Space

GOWL. (N) - Asshole, Idiot

Axonometric Drawing 

Plan View Drawing

Since the chosen site is a closed small space, I tried to make an installation that can be simply put and in the same time, do the best performance within the space. Basically, I decided to make the best uses out of what already existing in the toilet. This is how I am going to Kiss the Architecture.

Section Drawing

Light could be the best answer of how I am going to play with the whole space, because once it is installed, it can go everywhere to fill up the entire room.

EXISTING ELEMENTS

Toilet Door

When the door is closed, it controls the light to go up to the ceiling. It controls the amount of light that can be seen from outside, which will give some erotic feeling to the person in the space. In the same time, it blocks the person from seeing inside the toilet, which make he or she want to know what is actually behind the door.

Mirror

To continue with the idea of projecting the audiences to the installation, the audiences can experience the space, in the same time see their own expression on the mirror.

Toilet

Even in the toilet, I put a fighting fish in to play more with the feeling that normally most people will always think that water in toilets is dirty. But what if a fish can survive in there?

Ventilator

From outside, the audiences are able to see some of the light going through the ventilator. It is like an invitation to the audiences that make them want to know what is going on inside the toilet.

ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS

Toilet Wall Detail

By applying reflective sticker on the wall, it allows the light from the source behind the toilet to get reflected and shine out right after the door is opened.

Comparison Between Without Reflective Materials and With Reflective Materials

Moreover, it also enhances the power of light by reflecting them on the wall and send up to the ceiling or down to the floor.

Floating Pieces of Glass

Installation in Details

This floating pieces of plastic are hung over the toilet to give a second impact after the door is opened. Its transparent property let some light get reflected. It represents explosion of ice, coming out of the toilet. In the other hand, using string allows them to move when the wind flow pass, combining with the light source below, we are able to see some moving shadow, projected on the ceiling, which invite people from outside to open the door to see what is inside.

Two Kinds of Ice

As the first impact right after to get into the space, you can see a large amount of ice on the floor. But in the dark under backlight, there are actually 2 kinds of ice. One is normal ice, which reflects light into red color. And tonic water ice, which in normal condition is seem exactly like normal ice, but once it is applied under black light, it glows in blue color.