2017
UThong Boutique Hotel
— Interior Architecture Design
Hospitality Building
Uthong Hotel, located in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on the riverside of Lopburi River, had been left abandoned. Therefore, the owner wanted to renovate the whole building and turn it into a brand-new hotel but still kept the name ‘Uthong’.
Since Ayutthaya is well-known for its history, the re-design of the hotel aims to give the guests the experience of Ayutthaya’s fruitful story, from the present to the past, by focusing on their perceptions.
At the entrance hall, the guests would acknowledge the present Ayutthaya, with the wreckage of the traditional architecture. Then, as they enter different areas, from the first floor to the higher levels, they would gradually perceive more signs of the ancient Ayutthaya. The space, atmosphere, scale, materials, and elements represent what the city looked like before it was ruined. When the guests reach the hotel rooms, the floor plan, the furniture, and the open void are designed to tilt in a specific direction. The guests’ gaze is fixed on the top of the Ayutthaya style architecture, stupa, or other significant ancient architecture around the city. Nonetheless, by overlooking and learning from the surroundings and elements designed in the hotel, the guests would feel relaxed and little by little recall more about the civilized Ayutthaya in the past.
