The Sasabhumi International Learning Center is set in the tranquil and natural environment of Thanoon, Phang-nga, on a site ornamented with flora. Project program consists of a reception lobby, classrooms and seaside accommodation for teachers. The site itself has a predominantly flat topography that extends from the ocean and beach, and is also a protected “Sea Turtle Sanctuary” where sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. A spectacular range of flourishing plants are scattered throughout the site and the design intention was to respect the natural setting and devise a layout and design that coincided with the site’s remarkable ecosystem.
The first 100 meters of the shore is constrained by a setback and therefore is building-free, creating a peaceful and serene beach front. All vegetation was retained as was the moderately sloping and recessed topography. Beyond the 100m setback begins a cluster of delicate buildings that provide accommodation for the teachers. As for the classrooms and reception building, these were nestled among assemblies of trees which would provide acoustic barriers and light screens between the buildings. Its strategic location also ensures that it has the least impact on the beach front area, visually and physically. The buildings were laid out behind one another in order to avoid the strong ocean gusts and form wind barriers for each other.
Since the sea turtle is a symbolic icon of the site’s natural environment, it was used in the design concept of the reception lobby roof. Although a wide span roof, the structure did not employ the use roof trusses, but rather a series of steel tube roof struts, inspired by traditional construction methods of bridges in Bhutan. The steel structure is proudly exposed, emulating the branches of a tree, much like those that surround the building. Beyond the reception lobby, the path leads on towards the cluster of classroom buildings that seamlessly blend in among the site’s vegetation. It’s as if the project was resting in a nature reserve inhabited by rare and diverse plants which through conservation has become a unique feature and a symbol of the site for years to come.