Taladnoi, Bangkok

Originally established in 1927 as Lee Yuon Cheong, a leading steam-engine machinery workshop and family residence, Vanich House underwent a major regeneration process from 2022 to 2024 by its sixth-generation steward, seamlessly transforming into a cultural mixed-use compound while preserving its enduring soul and spirit for generations to come.

Honoring the original building’s utilitarian material practice focusing on functionality over excessive design, the re-generation process has preserved and uplifted the original wooden structural framework and façade. This was achieved through a blend of traditional and modern techniques, including traditional Thai in-situ column lifting technique, open-plan layouts, translucent roofing, and wooden louvres. These interventions revitalize the atmosphere of a bright, open and airy space into a once dark and damp interior.

Nestled in the evolving creative district of Talat Noi, Bangkok, Vanich House has opened its doors as a vibrant cultural hub beyond the use of a family residence, composed of ‘Vanich House’—a café, multi-brand shop, and event space; ‘Physicalist’—an architectural design studio; and ‘The Mechanic’s Room Hotel’—a secluded hospitality retreat located where mechanics once stayed. Since its opening, the event space has actively welcomed both locals and visitors, hosting Bangkok Design Week, art exhibitions featuring Thai and international artists, cultural workshops, student showcases, and local craft markets.

As a testament to heritage, the resurrected columns carry both weight and legacy, a generational endeavor where time is material, where authenticity integrates with modernity, through the re-generation of the space where its soul dwells – an enduring celebration of space and time.