J RESIDENCE LANDSCAPE DESIGN BY TROP : TERRAINS + OPEN SPACE SEES THE SITE BOUNDARY AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR INTEGRATION, ALLOWING FOR SUN TO SNEAK IN AND WIND TO BLOW THROUGH
Private gardens are unlike public parks or other kinds of landscapes as they are a place that the same people wake up to everyday and spend their private lives in. The purpose is indifferent from designing a home, as private gardens also shape the owner’s lifestyle while reflecting their personality and individual tastes.
J Residence landscape design by TROP : Terrains + Open Space, Photo courtesy of TROP : Terrains + Open Space
Adjacent to a private golf course in Bangkok, the site of J Residence was already surrounded by pleasant scenery and, with the advantage of the background in terms of the view, the garden therefore plays the role of a foreground leading to the outside scene. “In making this role perfect,” described TROP : terrains + open space, a Bangkok-based landscape architecture design studio led by Pok Kobkongsanti, “the most important aspect was to blur the borderline, so instead of seeing the site boundary as a separation it was designed as an integration.”
J Residence landscape design by TROP : Terrains + Open Space, Photo courtesy of TROP : Terrains + Open Space
The negative space of the site was divided into rooms with various functions of living spaces, according to the lifestyle of the owner who loves nature, collecting trees and peacefulness. The divided space establishes the zone of the arrival court as a welcoming area, with a transitional Zen terrace, main garden, backyard dining court, party lawn and shaded body and mind terrace while the second phase of the garden ballroom consists of different ambient details such as the tree gallery, great lawn, lawn terrace, orchard and main pavilion.
J Residence landscape design by TROP : Terrains + Open Space, Photo courtesy of TROP : Terrains + Open Space
“Unlike western gardens, Thai gardens don’t function only as a picturesque view for looking and strolling,” furthered TROP. “Thai gardens are edible and, since ancient times, we have planted what we want to eat in our homes. In Thai, this is referred to as a “Pak Suan Krua” or “kitchen garden,” a concept which commonly looks like a combination of some messy groups of herbs but, in J Residence, brings about a neatly designed garden reflective of the designer’s own style.
J Residence landscape design by TROP : Terrains + Open Space, Photo courtesy of TROP : Terrains + Open Space
The garden therefore functions in many ways as an extension of the house, as if more rooms were brought into the design, simply separated by concrete walls and ceilings that allow for sunlight to sneak in while the partitions refrain from blocking the wind from flowing through.
J Residence landscape design by TROP : Terrains + Open Space, Photo courtesy of TROP : Terrains + Open Space