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BETTESWORTHConstruction
Anglo-Burmese architecture

Villa Sanlomjoy: How Yangnar Studio Turned Reclaimed Windows into a Chiang Mai House

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Villa Sanlomjoy is a 250 m² house in Chiang Mai, Thailand, completed in 2020 by Yangnar Studio. Its defining idea is structural rather than decorative: a collection of reclaimed wooden doors and windows establishes the home’s proportions, ceiling heights, façade rhythm, daylight and ventilation strategy. By combining Anglo-Burmese references, the Huean Pae house tradition of Chiang Mai’s Wat Ket district, and a planted courtyard, the project makes reused architectural elements the organizing system for a contemporary residence.

What is Villa Sanlomjoy?

Villa Sanlomjoy is a private house designed by Yangnar Studio in Chiang Mai. ArchDaily published the project on 22 October 2026 and lists its area as 250 m² and completion year as 2020. Dechophon Rattanasatchatham is credited as lead architect, with Rungroj Tansukanun on the technical team and photography by Rungkit Charoenwat.

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Project detail Information
Project Villa Sanlomjoy
Location Chiang Mai, Thailand
Architectural studio Yangnar Studio
Lead architect Dechophon Rattanasatchatham
Area 250 m²
Completed 2020
Technical team Rungroj Tansukanun
Photography Rungkit Charoenwat

How do reclaimed doors and windows determine the design?

The project began with salvaged timber doors and windows, including pieces sourced from Myanmar through Mae Sot in Tak province. Instead of treating these components as finishes added after construction, Yangnar Studio used their dimensions and character to set the building’s scale. The architects describe the openings as an architectural framework that defines “its proportions, height, rhythm, and relationship with light and air.”

That decision has practical consequences. Wall bays, floor-to-ceiling relationships and the cadence of openings are calibrated to the existing frames, so the house steps in height where the collection requires it. Reuse therefore affects the plan and section, not just the appearance of the façade. Each opening carries evidence of an earlier building while performing a new role in shade, airflow and outlook.

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What makes the timber Anglo-Burmese?

The salvaged pieces combine several traditions. Their proportions and European window types recall British Colonial architecture, while Burmese craftsmanship appears in timber joinery, wooden pegs, louvers and casement windows. The result is not a reproduction of a colonial building; it is a contemporary composition that keeps the construction language of inherited elements visible.

Why does the narrow site use a central courtyard?

The site is narrow and deep, a condition that could produce a dark interior if rooms were simply arranged in a long sealed bar. Yangnar Studio responds with a street-facing house organized around a central courtyard. The courtyard pulls landscape and daylight into the middle of the plan and gives air a route through the depth of the building.

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This arrangement relates the project to the Huean Pae spatial typology associated with Wat Ket, a Chiang Mai area shaped by historic trade with Western communities. That reference helps explain why the house turns toward the street while retaining an inward, garden-centered sequence. Circulation repeatedly meets the courtyard, making the open space an environmental device and a visual orientation point.

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How does the envelope manage heat, light and airflow?

Exposed brick and plaster provide the main material field, while the reused frames supply a finer-grained layer of openings. Adjustable timber louvers can filter direct sun and modulate privacy. Slender iron grilles keep the envelope visually and physically porous, allowing breezes and diffuse light to enter without leaving every opening fully exposed.

The strategy is passive and adjustable rather than dependent on one fixed façade condition. Louvers can be changed as sun angles and daily use shift; the courtyard gives warm air and daylight an internal release point; and the combination of masonry, timber and grillework produces changing shadow rather than a uniformly glazed surface.

What role does the Payom tree play?

A Payom tree stands at the center of the courtyard. It is treated as more than planting: its moving shadows, seasonal blossoms and fallen flowers make time perceptible inside the house. The architects call it “a quiet marker of time,” linking the daily experience of rooms to seasonal change.

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Because the tree occupies the courtyard’s visual center, landscape is part of the house’s orientation system. Views, ventilation and the passage of the day converge there, giving the reused windows a living scene rather than a static architectural backdrop.

What can builders learn from Villa Sanlomjoy’s material strategy?

The project offers a clear sequence for using salvaged components responsibly:

  1. Survey before designing. Record every frame’s dimensions, swing direction, glazing condition, hardware and structural limitations.
  2. Find the ordering module. Group the collection into repeatable widths and heights, then let those dimensions inform bays, floor levels and ceiling changes.
  3. Design for repair. Retain access to hinges, louvers, grilles and joints so future maintenance does not require dismantling finished walls.
  4. Pair porous openings with shade. Louvers, courtyards and grilles can reduce glare and improve air movement without making the envelope permanently open.
  5. Give landscape a functional position. A courtyard or planted void can supply daylight, airflow and orientation at the same time.

This approach differs from applying reclaimed timber as a feature wall after the structure is fixed. It requires early coordination among salvage assessment, structural design, weather protection, security and building services. The reward is a house whose dimensions and environmental behavior grow from the material’s actual history.

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How does Villa Sanlomjoy differ from a conventional modern house?

Design question Villa Sanlomjoy’s approach Typical alternative
Source of form Reclaimed openings establish the ordering system Structure or an abstract geometry is set first
Cultural reference Anglo-Burmese craft and Wat Ket’s Huean Pae lineage A generalized contemporary language
Climate response Courtyard, adjustable louvers and porous grilles A more sealed envelope relying primarily on mechanical conditioning
Material expression Exposed brick and plaster with reused timber New, standardized finishes
Landscape role Central courtyard and Payom tree organize daily experience Planting placed mainly around the perimeter

Why is the project significant?

Villa Sanlomjoy demonstrates that architectural salvage can be generative. The doors and windows are not nostalgic inserts or decorative artifacts; they govern scale, sequence, environmental performance and the relationship between old craft and new construction. The courtyard and Payom tree extend that logic into climate and time, producing a home where inherited materials, Chiang Mai’s spatial history and everyday sensory change remain connected.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Huean Pae house typology?

Huean Pae is a house tradition associated with Chiang Mai’s Wat Ket area, whose form was influenced by historic exchange with Western communities. In Villa Sanlomjoy, the reference supports a street-oriented dwelling with an inward courtyard rather than a literal historical reconstruction.

How can reclaimed window frames be checked before reuse?

Measure each frame, inspect joints and sill damage, test hardware, and identify any rot or insect attack before fixing the architectural grid. Frames that cannot provide reliable weather protection should be repaired, glazed or assigned to protected interior locations.

Can a courtyard improve ventilation in a deep house?

It can provide an intermediate air and light source when rooms and openings are arranged to connect with it. Performance still depends on orientation, shading, local wind, room layout and the occupants’ ability to open and adjust the envelope.

Why use adjustable louvers instead of fixed screens?

Adjustable louvers let occupants respond to changing sun, glare, rain and privacy conditions. They also preserve the visual depth of timber openings while avoiding a single all-or-nothing façade setting.

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