All posts by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda

MARAYA CONCERT HALL | GUARDIAN GLASS

December 27, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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MARAYA CONCERT HALL | GUARDIAN GLASS

THE MARAYA CONCERT HALL IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST MIRRORED BUILDING SITUATED WITHIN THE ARABIAN DESERT AND UTILIZES GUARDIAN GLASS’S ULTRAMIRROR AS FAÇADE MATERIAL WHICH OFFERS THE BUILDING AN ILLUSIONARY DISAPPEARING EFFECT

TEXT: WARUT DUANGKAEWKART
PHOTO COURTESY OF GUARDIAN GLASS

(For Thai, press here)

Maraya Concert Hall is undoubtedly a head turner. At first glance, the architecture seamlessly submerges itself to the landscape of the Arabian Desert with the mirrored facade, which at times camouflages the entire structure into the surrounding environment, disappearing from one’s vision like a magical illusion. 

The 500-seat performance hall houses 9,740- square meter  functional space. Maraya Concert Hall now holds Guinness World Records title for the largest mirrored building in the world.

The scale of the building creates a clear, mind-bending reflection of the surrounding landscape on the reflective facade. The word ‘Maraya,’ which translates to mirror in Arabic, becomes the main concept of the project. Initially, the facade was designed to look like a massive metal wall that would reflect the landscape into a distorted visuals.

The idea to use metal came about from the worry over using real mirror in the physical environment of the desert where heat and UV ray would have had impacts on the coating substance and eventually the building’s future maintenance. Meanwhile, the mirror’s surface could not deliver the desired reflective effect with the possibility of discoloration, which might result in a less satisfying outcome.

Thanks to Guardian Glass’ technologies and a variety of products with optimized efficiency they bring, the design team  chooses UltraMirror, a type mirror designed specifically for interior use with functional features developed  for the project of such a unique environment.

The project is one of the works that Guardian Glass is involved in, not just the manufacturing process, but also the development and research of the product to deliver the most fitting solution for architectural use.

While the idea was incredibly challenging that it seemed almost impossible, considering how each type of mirror holds its own physical properties and relies on the architect’s understanding, selection and application to bring the desired functional performances. In addition to the physical properties, there are also challenges in the transportation and installation since the mirror used in this project contains different physical properties. The material went through the cutting, heat-treated and coated with a great number of chemical substances with more complex properties than normal to achieve the most immaculate final result. In the big picture, the installation method, size and overall surface finish including the material’s ability to reflect the surrounding environment, collectively, contribute to Maraya Concert Hall’s visually striking piece of architecture as the work is given the Popular Winner award by 2020’s Architizer A+Awards in architecture and Glass category, a testament to the project’s distinguished architectural design.

For further information you can contact our experts, by visiting us at: 
Official Website / https://www.guardianglass.com/ap/en
Official Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/guardianglassap
Email / guardiansupport@guardian.com

MUNCH MUSEUM

December 24, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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WHILE THE NEWLY BUILT MUSEUM DESIGNED BY HERREROS ARQUITECTOS APPEARS AS AN UNCONVENTIONAL, MONOLITHIC STRUCTURE, IT REMINISCES OF MUNCH’S PAINTINGS THAT QUESTION THE OLD ARTISTIC TRADITION AND REFLECTS THE MUSEUM’S INTENTION TO CHALLENGE THE DEFINITION OF A MUSEUM

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PHOTO ESSAY : THE SUBTLE ACT OF RAW AND SOLID BY THICK AND THIN

December 18, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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TEXT: RATCHADAPORN HEMJINDA
PHOTO COURTESY OF THICK AND THIN

(For Thai, press here)

Wood is a naturally born creation, from hundreds of species of trees, branching out and towering in vast forest lands, through decades of changing seasons. The diversity of their origins and families make wood an unpredictable material with colors and grains that cannot be determined or recreated by humans. Most of the time, to fully bring out the identity and physical characteristics of wood into a human-made creation can be an incredible challenge that requires the skills of highly experienced artisans. Thick and Thin believes in the natural and inimitable beauty of wood. The brand’s inception stems from an intent to convey stories and values of wood through the design of wooden products that reflects the thinking method, life philosophy and human connections, as well as material sourcing processes and technical know-how of woodworking, all of which have been documented for the later generations to know and to learn from.

‘The Subtle Act of Raw and Solid’ depicts natural colors, grains and imperfections of wood as the charms and distinctive attributes that only wood can offer. The concept lays the ground for the way Think and Thin Studio operates, which begins as an experimental process of selecting a piece of wood and the most appropriate and specific techniques to create a strong structure of a design that embraces wood at its purest form.

Each piece of wood is cut and planed meticulously before everything is arranged and interlocked into a symmetric structure with an interesting intermingle of colors and grains. This is the story behind ‘TOUGH,’ the chair inspired by the magnificence and solidity of trees, simplified into a unique form that conveys strength and a sense of security. The piece is conceived from interconnected and complementing components, reflecting the tale of perseverance, patience and overcoming struggles. ’TIGHT’ is a bench with a minimalistic design. Ancient woodworking techniques are incorporated, putting together different pieces of wood without any use of nails or screws. The bench expresses a story of connection and unbreakable bonds, the seamlessness and unity that makes wood hold unique values and is more than just a simple material. These creations are a manifestation of new, infinite possibilities and discoveries that wood can bring when it is met with the right kind of creativity and design; something that has always been Thick and Thin’s conviction.

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ST INTERNATIONAL HQ AND SONGEUN ART SPACE

December 17, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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HERZOG & DE MEURON AND JUNGLIM ARCHITECTURE CREATE A NEW LANDMARK FOR CHEONGDAM-DONG, THE BUSINESS DISTRICT IN SOUTHERN SEOUL, WITH AN OFFICE SPACE AND ART GALLERY BUILDING WHICH APPEARS LIKE A LARGE, SMOOTH, UNIFIED PIECE OF CONCRETE

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THYBERPUNK BY JARMO

December 16, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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ART4D TALKS WITH KAMOLCHAT PANGTHO (JARMO), THE ARTIST WHOSE PAINTINGS INTEGRATE THAI MYTHS AND BELIEFS IN MIRACLES, SPIRITS, GHOSTS JOINED WITH THE GENRE OF SCIENCE FICTION, AND ARE EXHIBITED AT ‘THYBERPUNK,’ THE ARTIST’S LATEST SOLO EXHIBITION AT THE ONE WALL ART FOUNDATION

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FJORDENHUS | GUARDIAN GLASS

December 16, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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Photo: David de Larrea Remiro

FJORDENHUS | GUARDIAN GLASS

FJORDENHUS IS A CYLINDRICAL BUILDING DESIGNED BY THE ARTIST, OLAFUR ELIASSON AND ARCHITECT, SEBASTIAN BEHMANN, FEATURING AN ORIGINAL DANISH BRICK FACADE CONTRASTING WITH SUNGUARD HIGH PERFORMANCE NEUTRAL 60/40 COATED GLASS FROM GUARDIAN GLASS

TEXT: WARUT DUANGKAEWKART
PHOTO: ANDERS SUNE BERG EXCEPT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press here)

Many must be familiar with the name Olafur Eliasson, the Danish artist with countless iconic projects, from sculptures to installation art such as The Weather Project at London’s  Tate Modern. But not many people are aware that aside from his art projects, Olafur Eliasson has some architectural projects sitting in his portfolio. The first architectural project he did is a collaboration with Sebastian Behmann for the design of Fjordenhus, the built structure located on the river next to Havneøen island, a man-built land constructed as a part of the new urban initiatives. The building houses Kirk Kapital’s head office, which occupies the upper floors. The ground floor is open as a public space that welcomes visitors to experiece Olafur Eliasson’s site specofic art piece, created particularly for the project. 

The building is designed to have a cylindrical form with over 28-meter height, and divided into four superimposed and overlapped segments. Created is an interesting building mass where Denmark’s traditional bricks cladding both the interior and exterior surfaces. The brick facade has now become an integral part of the building’s identity, portraying its close association with the nostalgic aestheic of old buildings. The lighthouse situated in the middle of the water bears the physical appearance of a brick structure from a distance. The structure, however, contains myrid details of the bricks, which comprise 15 differnet color tones. 

From the building’s shell to the interior spaces and opennings, everything is designed to render a spatial characteristic of the freely concaved and indented space with curvical lines that run in both vertical and horizontal axes. The result is a series of smaller spaces embraced by the building’s physical structure and opennings that function as foyers connecting different parts and chambers inside the interior together. Some of the opennings look toward the fjords and the surrounding cityscape. These openings use double-layered glass specificaly cut and bent to physically correspond woth the lines and silhoutte of the building. 

The project’s Glass of choice is Sunguard High Performance Neutral 60/40 Coated Glass, which combines solar control and thermal insulation. 

The design and application of the glass is a collaborative creation between the designers and Guardian to achieve the curvature and form that Eliasson  had intended. The opennings reveal themsleves as gorgeous windows that look almost like an artwork, perfectly complementing the building’s architectural character to be even more stunning.

It isn’t that often to see such an impeccable and distinctive fusion of art and architecture. Fjordenhus is one of the proofs how meticulously designed and executed construction technology as well as thoughtful material selection can give birth to a work of architecture of such distinctive attributes. 

For further information you can contact our experts, by visiting us at: 
Official Website / https://www.guardianglass.com/ap/en
Official Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/guardianglassap
Email / guardiansupport@guardian.com