- Project: T House
- Architect: IDIN Architects
- Location: Thailand, Tambon Lak Hok
- Year: 2016
- Area: 260 m2
- Photography: Spaceshift
A Vacation Home Designed for Togetherness
T House is conceived by IDIN Architects as a holiday residence for a large extended family—more than ten people across four siblings with children—seeking a place of rest, play and gathering by the beach in Thailand. The design embraces this by creating a generous common zone at the centre, flanked by private “boxes” of bedrooms acting as both shading bulk and habitation zones. The architectural challenge: allow autonomy and shared life simultaneously.
Architectural Strategy & Form
The plan begins with three wooden-clad bedroom volumes aligned at the perimeter; these form the structural and spatial backdrop for the glazed and open common areas which face north (the non-hot direction) and open toward the sea. One bedroom on the ground floor accommodates older family members so that movement is easier. The design allows the wall of these boxed rooms to open fully, turning the house into one continuous space when desired.
The material strategy emphasises continuity: the wooden bedroom boxes extend from the inside to the outside, creating a tactile and visual unity with the exterior. Meanwhile, large glass facades connect interior and landscape, and the boxes themselves provide shading to the main communal space.
Spatial Experience: Flow, Light & Family Life
Inside T House, the layout fosters multiple modes of living: the central common area becomes the heart of family interaction—dining, play, lounge—while the bedroom boxes provide retreat and privacy. The rope net in the stair area for children illustrates how design detail supports family-friendly play.
Natural light is managed via orientation and massing: the common area faces north for mild daylight, while the solid bedroom volumes buffer the sun from the hotter southern directions. The result is a home that feels open, connected to its landscape, yet protected from extreme climate.
Why T House Matters
T House is an exemplar of how architecture for extended families can be both generous and refined, especially in vacation or gathering-context homes. It shows:
-
how spatial clarity and simple massing can serve complex family living;
-
how material continuity inside and out strengthens the connection to place;
-
how orientation, shading and form respond to both climate and lifestyle;
-
how architecture can create a “shared house” where autonomy and togetherness coexist.
For designers and homeowners alike, T House offers in 260 m² what many larger homes struggle to achieve: purposeful social architecture, balanced with quiet private spaces, all rooted in site and context.
