Client
Chiang Mai Pantawat Co., Ltd.
Location
Hang Dong, Chiang Mai
Year
2006
Type
Boutique Bed and Breakfast
About the project
From Rental Offices to a Bed and Breakfast
The name has two meanings. 3b is short for boutique bed and breakfast, and it also stands for the 3 Brothers of the Tantayanusorn family, who own the project.
We designed and built it as an office building for rent. When it was finished, nobody wanted the space. The World Horticultural Expo was about to arrive in Chiang Mai in 2006, so the family decided to change the use of the building and turn it into a bed and breakfast.
It was also the first time Niwat Architects Co., Ltd. tried a fully steel structure for a whole building, mainly because steel goes up fast. Once the building became a place to stay, we designed the interiors around local ideas. Each room is named after either a district of Chiang Mai or one of the hill tribes living in the mountains, which gives every room its own character.
When it opened, it did very well. Plenty of visitors were coming to Chiang Mai, and bed and breakfasts were still new in the province, so we were among the first.
As with every project, we thought about the big trees on the site first. The building steps back in places to leave courtyards, and the old trees grow up through them and shade the whole project.
Design Philosophy
Built Around the Trees and the Locals
We designed the building to go up quickly, then reworked to feel like it belongs in Chiang Mai.
01
Steel structure
Our first full steel frame, chosen for fast construction. It let us convert the building to a guesthouse without starting again.
02
Local names
Rooms are named after Chiang Mai districts or hill tribe communities, so each one has a different character.
03
Courtyards & big trees
The large trees on the land were kept. Gaps in the building form courtyards where they grow through and give shade.
