Turtle Bay/

Project description as provided by the Architects.

The Turtle Bay project is located on the lush natural area of Hua-Hin, one of the most famous seaside areas of THAILAND. The project is located on 1.7 Rai of land. The site is located near Khao Tao Reservoir and is also considered as one of the main tourists’ attractive places.  The aim of Turtle Bay’s owner is to create a new eco tourist destination, organic eatery, chef’s table, eco café , zero waste, workshop area, local artisan’s souvenir shop as well as homestay style lodging. 

During the site survey architect team found wild peacock feeding themselves at the site. The daily life of these little creatures should be preserved once the Turtle Bay project is already built. Based on the aim of the owner, existing natural context such as Khao Tao Reservoir, existing large tree and existing lotus pond will be used as main design criteria. 

“Khao” is Thai word for mountain whilst “Tao” is Thai word for turtle. Shape of the turtle’s shell has been selected as the roof surface of the project to create a new tourist destination. Existing large lotus pond has been preserved to maintain the sense of place.

Material selections are based on simple criteria which are harmonized with nature. Shingle roof selected as major roof material. This is because its surface looks like gravel and stone chips. Shingle roof also has the ability to create a turtle’s shell-like surface. Local bamboo was selected as another main roof material as well as wall surface. The criteria of selection are based on its bending ability. Moreover, bamboo construction can be built easily by using local artisan’s knowledge and heavy machines are not required to build bamboo structures. Turtle Bay project also implements local artisan’s construction material which is called “Poon-Tum”. This material is very famous among the region. The “Poon-Tum” offers a sustainable outcome because this material makes the wall cool at almost any time. This material is one of the main materials when creating or repairing ancient architecture like temples. The designer uses some artisan’s design knowledge like a large space which is covered by a high roof and also has the window on the opposite side. These ways of designing offer sustainable architectural design aspects like natural ventilation, called “Stack Effect” and extending the roof to create sun shading. Solar cell equipment is also used on some roofs where possible. The electric power generated from natural light during the day-time will be used to light up the electric-bulb during the night-time.

Since there is a large lotus pond at this site, it will be used as main design criteria and site-planning, so the quality of natural water must be appropriately treated. Chaipattana Low Speed Surface Aerator installed to oxygenate the natural water at this pond. This project also uses a sewage water treatment system. This means no untreated water drainage to natural soil or the pond.

Based on the design criteria, material selections and construction techniques, the owner and the designer believe that Turtle Bay @ Hua-Hin project will offer a new eco-tourist destination with eye-catching architectural design outcomes.

Architects: Dersyn Studio Co., Ltd. 

Design Team: Sarawoot Jansaeng-Aram, Nitaya Mokharat, Paly Poopradit, Suchin Thongmorn, Sahraw Rahamadprasert, Jagkree Phetphosree and Satit  Khotchanan

Interior Design: Sea Harmony

Civil Engineer: Dersyn Studio Co., Ltd.

Structural Engineer: Narathip Deekaew

Lighting: Boviga Lighting

Construction: Chakaj Team and Clear point Inter

Photography: TonPixelPro