walllasia inserts a tiny red museum into bangkok’s royal monastery
the new museum was designed as a 'treasure box', in which numerous precious archaeological artefacts could be safely kept.
concealed within wat somanas rajavaravihara – a royal monastery in bangkok – is a tiny museum measuring just 45 sqm, designed by suriya umpansiratana of walllasia. the small, crimson red intervention was realized to preserve and display an ancient archaeological artefact called korbuengjarn. developed under the supervision of ms. wannarith pramoj na ayudhya, the charmingly minuscule building intends to appeal to younger generations with its striking and contemporary image.
all images courtesy of walllasia
the main concept of the new museum was to create a treasure box, in which numerous precious archaeological artefacts could be safely kept. this new intervention has been integrated into the original space without interfering with the existing structure, which was constructed in the reign of rama IV and currently under the protection and preservation of the fine arts department.
the architecture of the tiny museum can be dissected into three main elements: the form, color and material. firstly, the 45-degree gable roof was suggested by wannarith to blend into the surrounding buildings. this form also creates a satisfyingly symmetrical, almost graphic-like expression. for the color, the architect chose to apply the eye-catching crimson red as it appears on the doors and windows of the existing monastery.
given the tight site constraints, metal was specified as the most suitable material to fit into the limited space. as well as its strength and flexibility, the metal parts were also prefabricated and assembled on site, reducing construction time and the impact on the surrounding structure. the architect also used thai traditional ‘yaw moom’ or redented angles technique to reinforce the metal sheets by folding them. this technique also allowed the museum to fit in harmoniously with the context.
project info:
project name: tiny museum
project type: museum
client∕developer: wat somanas rajavaravihara
location: wat somanas rajavaravihara, bangkok, thailand
architecture firm: walllasia ltd.
chief architect: suriya umpansiriratana
design team (participant employees): pravit poolkumlang, sasiprapa roschan, preenaporn sangsri, panomporn prompang, narongchai jaisai, chatchawal tullayanit, charlotte matias, jirawat ponsamart
consultant: mrs.wannarith pramoj na ayudhya
materials: steel
building footprint area: 484.37 ft2 (45 sqm)
number of storys: 1
design date: 2019
construction to completion date: 2019
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