PHTAA designs a white wedding venue in Thailand accentuated by arches and curved lines

As Thailand has a history of borrowing and mixing cultures, both old and new, Thai weddings use variations on the Khan Maak with Chinese elements, along with components of western weddings. A purpose-built wedding space must, therefore, be flexible to accommodate a variety of religions and cultures either in their pure form or with elements borrowed from other traditions. Nowadays, weddings in Thailand have become an opportunity for photographing the event as much as the event itself.

The building tries to reconcile this attitude by balancing between being a stage for the photography and space that enhances an authentic experience. Use of white curved walls has the practical advantage of mimicking the walls of a photographic studio to be used either as a blank canvas, aided by diffused light from the skylights, or with the play of light and shadows formed by the curved geometry on the external walls. 

The main hall holds 290 people and sits free-standing in a courtyard surrounded on three sides by a U-shaped cloistered structure which allows for under-cover circulation and the inclusion of auxiliary rooms. The engagement hall holds 150 people and is separated from the main hall by the “bouquet throwing” courtyard.

The Khan Maak walkway and cloistered courtyard could have simply been a copy of an arched walkway, or a reinterpretation of a church element. However, arches are deconstructed to half-arch modular elements and reformed after rotating on different axes, clearly giving the building a modern image, open to interpretation. The effect is a snaking ceiling of white concrete. In terms of construction elements, the Khan Maak walkway utilises expanded polystyrene foam carving and plaster to form the white curvy continuous shape, while elsewhere the sculptural look is achieved using white sand-wash finished concrete.