THIS ARCHITECTURE FIRM WORKS AS AN ALL-ROUND DESIGNER, FROM WEB DESIGN, GRAPHIC DESIGN, EXHIBITIONS, AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS, BECAUSE WHY NOT?

TEXT: WIRE KNOT STUDIO
PHOTO CREDIT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press here)

WHO

We’re an architecture firm that has never designed a single residential project. We’re a bunch of friends who know each other from college and have the same dream of winning at least one globally recognized award (although we won’t mind winning more than one).

WHAT

We define ourselves as designers because we’re not limiting our work to only spatial design. We’ve done projects of all sorts, from web design, graphic design, public buildings and spaces (mostly libraries), exhibitions, and conceptual design for competitions, to the most unprecedented project we’ve done so far, which is text analysis, where we come up with a way to make archived text easier to read and allow users to see the developments and bigger picture of the information stored in the archive.

WHEN

We’re entering our fifth year as a studio.

WHERE

A Home Studio in Bang Pho, Bangkok

WHY

This question actually relates to the genesis of our studio. The name of the office originates from a wordplay with the word ‘why not?’ It’s because we’re all a bunch of curious individuals who like to question everything. We had submitted a design proposal for an architectural design competition by writing a short story and presenting it alongside illustrations instead of a normal architectural presentation format.

How would you describe your work?

Sexy. Our definition of sexy is to keep on moving, to change gradually and all the time, whether the changes are a result of people’s interactions or contexts. It’s essentially about the aesthetics of the temporariness and uncertainty of things. So the materials we use are often those with certain moving haptic characteristics that are organic and constantly changing. Things like translucent walls, where silhouettes of movements and how a space is used are visible, whether by wind or other factors, are the type of things that lead to the sexy quality that we’re trying to explain.

What is your inspiration and guiding principle for each creation?

Mistakes. A novel endeavor often comes with mistakes, so it’s important for us to find solutions to the mistakes and keep on improving for the next project.

What is the project you are most proud of?

There are two, actually. The first one is called Pattani Rooftop. It’s basically a design competition that invites people to ask questions about public spaces in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. When we were working on this project, we questioned why stories that take place in this particular part of the country are always about violence and loss. What we ended up creating was a space that told a story without saying anything. Instead, it serves as a vehicle that brings people to see and get to know these simple rural towns that are home to different, diverse groups of people. It was the first competition that we participated in, and we won. It’s the project that got us thinking about ourselves: “You’re quite good at this.”

Another project is a booth design we did for a political party at a book fair. We felt like the design challenged the possibilities of what an exhibition booth at a book fair could be. The initial idea was for the booth to keep changing each day; it was there with the hands of the people. The final design was this dense black box where people could help peel off the black sticker and turn the dark space inside the box into a brightly lit space. Inside, people can take a seat at organized dining tables and engage in political discussions. It challenged this tradition where Thai people are told not to talk about politics when you’re sharing a meal with others.

What is your favorite part of the whole process?

The stages where we brainstorm for ideas and when a work is completed. We tend to spend a lot of time discussing and debating, and we’re always proud to see people use our work.

If you could invite a ‘creative’ to coffee, who would you invite and why?

We would invite our future selves—the future us—ten years from now for a cup of coffee. We’re curious to know if we will get to design a residential project by then.

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