BAAN CHANG NAG is located in a broad upland valley to the north-west of Chiangmai, Thailand’s second most populous city. The cool evening air in late November and leaden grey skies are a reminder that the climate in tropical Southeast Asia is not an unvarying diet of heat and humidity. Night-time temperatures fall sufficiently for the house to require a hearth.

The setting of the house is wonderfully picturesque. Surrounded by a low white-painted masonry wall, not unlike the walls of a Buddhist temple in Northern Thailand, it sits on the bank of a man-made lake, against a background of forested hills, home to some of the hill-tribes of Chiangmai province. One enters via gatehouse in the south-east corner of the compound.


 The principle of tiered roof in diminishing proportion locates this house in mainland southeast Asia.

An outdoor terrace is the focus of the dwelling.
 The house is comparatively isolated; it is the forerunner of what will eventually be a low-density development of second homes and vacation houses for their owners to escape the frenzy, pollution and chaos of Bangkok.

BAAN CHANG NAG consist of four separated structures. The main building is a sturdy, square, masonry and concrete structure with a four-tiered shingle-clad roof. The precedence for this from can be seen in the numerous native roofs of the Thai/Laos/Myanmar border region but the interpretation is entirely contemporary.


 The interior of living/dining area is furnished with tribal art and artifact The new structures forms the southern “wall” of landscape courtyard, with a pool at its centre. On the eastern and northern sides of the courtyard are two reconstructed traditional Thai timber-framed houses, modified from the villagers rice barns, and on the west side a sala (an open pavilion), which permits unrestricted view of the mountain ranges.

Cars and domestic staff are accommodated in another traditional timber structure, fifty meters from the house alongside the access road.

The main house contains a comfortable living and dining area and a kitchenette. A spacious bathroom and a dressing room occupy the remainder of the lower storey of the house and staircase gives access to the main bedroom.


 A traditional rice barn converted to guest bedroom
 Other family members sleep in the two Thai houses which are raised on sturdy timber posts with access from a raised timber deck. Hammocks can be slung in the undercroft (the space beneath the raised floor) to accommodate guests.

Nithi Sthapitanonda’s design does not slavishly imitate the past. He draws his inspiration from the vernacular and this is a house that is clearly recognizable as located in Southeast Asia, yet a transformation is made and there is a contemporary sophistication in the materials (such as anodized aluminum sliding doors), and in the details (such as the outdoor Jacuzzi)


 The sala, an outdoor pavilion, is a place for quiet contemplation
 The multi-roof form is one such indicator of it’s “place”, as are the circular timber columns which are used to support the roof overhang (trough these are possibly structurally redundant)

The courtyard is an outdoor living space. It forms an extension of the living area and the family and visitor eat, drink and relax here in the evening beneath a canopy of stars. This outdoor space is the core of the house, its focus.  It is a place of calmness, solitude and peace. As night descend, one feels the presence of the comforting lights of other settlements in the surrounding hills.

The courtyard is also a wonderful place to take breakfast at dawn or to be entertained at dinner by a musician in the sala silhouetted against the setting sun.

Bathing in the open-to-sky bathroom is another magical experience. The Jacuzzi at BAAN CHANG NAG is surrounded by a high wall and plants and shrubs spill over the edge of the porcelain tub.

The name of the house is derived from the splendid teak elephant carvings used in the decoration on the interior. They are the work of Petch Viriya, one of Chiangmai’s foremost elephant carvers ( Baan Chang Nag literally means “The Village of Elephant”)

The house was awarded the Gold Medal of Association of Siamese Architect under Royal Patronage in 1994.


 1. gateway

2. entrance

3. foyer

4. living/dining

5. kitchen

6. bathroom

7. WC  8. Jacuzzi 9. terrace

10. pool

11. sala

12. traditional rice barn

13. bedroom

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