The Light Trap
“The building’s statement makes with the public area
A simple element of space containing that designed to gather people together
A tiny glow room that can put the light in.”
The Light Trap is simply a pop-up room for multi-function support for La Mai Hotel. The building settles on the hotel’s parking area on a small road that also leads to the back of Nong –Hoi Market. Main function is a coffee bar yet it can be used for other purposes such as private cocktail parties, pre-wedding studio, art exhibitions and welcoming space for hotel guests.
Economy-wise, the client's goal was to create a new revenue channel for the property after business disruption due to the spread of Covid-19 early in 2020
We started to design a simple 50 sq.m. room with the clearest elements, with four sides of clear wall supported with a single roof column in the center and vertical structure panel line. This wall structure makes space defined by the act of covering a parking ground without any floor structure, Hardscape use it as a pop-up floor in this condition.
A skinny boundary was designed as a double curtain curving to collect the atmosphere of the room. With a tiny space only one circle bench will be gather point This circle bench is a sharing furniture for every people in this room. When visitors start walking inside, the sound of the gravels underneath will express the transit of the area from outside to inside, feeling of being enclosed and naturally creates awareness of the sound the room makes. A noise ambiance of people and gravel ground will mix together.
We started the design process with the observation of all daylight from dawn till dark because that is the only free material that we can use from a common daily phenomenon in this area.
Day by day, we found that sunset light from the west view will splash into the parking area even if it is obstructed by many rows of buildings. Therefore, from inside, the wall plays as a huge screen for lights and senses until sunset, tiny moments that continue all day collecting light in the light trap.
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