Articles by Hana Abdel

The Boulder Farmhouse: A Mud Haven in the Hills of Shoolagiri – Nestled amidst the landscapes of Shoolagiri, in a laidback village, lies a property that is a testament to sustainable living and architectural ingenuity. This site, deep in elephant country, presents a unique canvas for an architectural endeavor that is respectful of its environment. This three-quarter acre of land is surrounded by boulders and plantations that slope towards a water catchment area. This little sanctuary away from the bustling city of Bangalore is planned over a footprint of 2400 sq ft, snugly between boulders towards the North and South, opening towards a fruit plantation on the east. As the story goes, the name ‘Boulder House’ wasn’t just a stroke of architectural branding but a nod to the very essence of its surroundings. It was as if the land itself had a say in the matter, with its majestic boulders and rugged terrain inspiring not just the design but also the moniker. Drawing upon the vernacular architecture, the design meticulously incorporates mud, stone, wood, and clay – materials that have been the cornerstone of construction in this region for generations.

The project “Maayer Anchol” was an endeavor to design a village home for a family of six brothers which is an extension of their old home built by their mother 35 years back. It was developed in the context of rural setting with a cluster of humble individual tin-roofed cottages. The core challenge of the design was to create a new space which must blend with the surroundings, bringing a sense of completeness complementing the existing built form, upholding its pride and true culture of this home.

In Thailand, I retraced an old technique of building with rammed earth, thinking that perhaps the local building industry could learn something of value. Although the technology was invented thousands of years ago, it has been disregarded for its labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of manually compressing the earth. I relearned this ancient construction technique with our local contractors and builders, allowing them to master the expertise through trial and error. In finding the right material composition that would be suitable for the tropical climate with high humidity and a harsh monsoon season, the final mixture consisted of an addition of 10% concrete to stabilize the compressed earth components. Specimens of earth were collected from different parts of the country to create shifting shades and hues to the building’s expansive façade. The structural elements are designed in reinforced concrete columns and beams since rammed earth is not a certified load-bearing material in Thailand. The rammed earth facades embrace the columns from the exterior, leaving them visible from the interior, where the rough natural finishes were preserved. The two years construction process resulted in a 3-stories building standing in a remote seafront town in Chonburi, Thailand. The 196-square-meter project stands distinctively unique in this context, making the time and labor put into the project’s design and construction process a worthy endeavor.

In Thailand, I retraced an old technique of building with rammed earth, thinking that perhaps the local building industry could learn something of value. Although the technology was invented thousands of years ago, it has been disregarded for its labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of manually compressing the earth. I relearned this ancient construction technique with our local contractors and builders, allowing them to master the expertise through trial and error. In finding the right material composition that would be suitable for the tropical climate with high humidity and a harsh monsoon season, the final mixture consisted of an addition of 10% concrete to stabilize the compressed earth components. Specimens of earth were collected from different parts of the country to create shifting shades and hues to the building’s expansive façade. The structural elements are designed in reinforced concrete columns and beams since rammed earth is not a certified load-bearing material in Thailand. The rammed earth facades embrace the columns from the exterior, leaving them visible from the interior, where the rough natural finishes were preserved. The two years construction process resulted in a 3-stories building standing in a remote seafront town in Chonburi, Thailand. The 196-square-meter project stands distinctively unique in this context, making the time and labor put into the project’s design and construction process a worthy endeavor.

With the desire to find a home that is both compact in size and situated near her workplace, the client, Duen (Nuntisa Chotirosniramit), went on a search within Wat Umong Street for a house that is up for sale. Finally, she stumbled upon a doer-upper house, which is the perfect size and in the right location near her office at the research center in Chiang Mai University. Studio Mai Mai was brought on to renovate this house into her dream home.

With the desire to find a home that is both compact in size and situated near her workplace, the client, Duen (Nuntisa Chotirosniramit), went on a search within Wat Umong Street for a house that is up for sale. Finally, she stumbled upon a doer-upper house, which is the perfect size and in the right location near her office at the research center in Chiang Mai University. Studio Mai Mai was brought on to renovate this house into her dream home.

The Cobogo House pays homage to the punctured tile known as cobogó. This inventive tile, crafted in the 1920s by architects Coimbra, Boeckmann, and Góis, derives its name from the initial letters of their family names Co-bo-go. Originally conceived to integrate sunlight and natural ventilation into construction openings seamlessly, cobogó serves both functional and aesthetic purposes in architectural design. Rooted in the inheritance of Arab culture, the tile draws inspiration from the wooden mashrabiya screens found in Arab/Islamic architecture. These screens were traditionally used to enclose internal spaces partially, and the Cobogo House stands as a contemporary embodiment of these rich cultural influences.