The Oriental Fine Art

Highly Commended Architectural Design Award,

The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage

The Oriental Fine Art is an adaptive reuse of a shophouse as an antique art gallery at Surin Beach in Phuket. Its surrounding views are the Andaman Sea at its west and a hill at its south.

As the existing building has no historical and architectural merit, only its structure is maintained. The design intent is to promote the value of antique art and the value of surrounding views.

The building houses antique oriental art on three lower floors and is the owner’s residence on the fourth floor. The interior space of each floor connects to vertical voids at various locations and continuously links via the glass openings to the surrounding views.

The building is a reinforced concrete structure; its exterior materials are granite, cement tiles, wood, painted plaster, painted steel, and clear float glass with wood frames; its interior materials are granite, wood, ceramic tiles, painted plaster, painted steel, and stainless steel cable.

The building is in a simple abstract form with neutral-tone natural and artificial materials not only to perform as a neutral background for the richly detailed antique art displayed but also to be able to harmonize with the surrounding hill, beach, and sea.