Project: Double B Hostel
Architecture: VMA Design Studio
Structural & M&E Engineer: Basic Design Co., Ltd.
Location: Sao Chingcha, Bangkok, Thailand
Area: 1200 m2
Year: 2023
Photo Credits: Add Peerapat Wimolrungkarat, Art Chitsanupong
The Double B Hostel by VMA Design Studio transforms a narrow lot in Bangkok’s old town into a 27-room boutique retreat that celebrates the city’s woodworking heritage. From the moment guests step off the street, they are drawn inward by a flowing timber façade that unfolds into a glass-topped courtyard, offering a fresh encounter with light, air, and local craftsmanship.
Inviting Light into a Dense Urban Fabric
First, VMA Design Studio tackled the site’s challenge of wall-to-wall development by making natural light the driving force of the design. Consequently, a spacious internal courtyard capped with a transparent roof becomes the hostel’s luminous heart. Moreover, guest rooms open onto planted lightboxes—recessed balconies that admit daylight while preserving privacy. Meanwhile, a large exhaust system pulls hot air upward, drawing fresh breezes through lower vents and maintaining comfortable temperatures without mechanical cooling.
A Flowing Wooden Facade as Cultural Bridge
Next, the design blends exterior and interior by extruding a W-shaped wooden façade from the street front straight into the courtyard. Furthermore, reclaimed timber from the original warehouse anchors the interior surfaces, while composite rods on the exterior withstand Bangkok’s heat and humidity. Therefore, this continuous façade becomes more than decoration: it links the hostel to the neighborhood’s storied tradition of Buddhist statue carving and woodwork.
Crafting with Local Expertise and Digital Precision
Although advanced computational tools shaped the geometry, VMA Design Studio embraced regional construction methods. In particular, craftsmen use simple molds and hot-air bending—techniques familiar to local workshops—to achieve complex curves. As a result, the project both honors traditional skills and pushes them into new expressive territory.
Ultimately, the Double B Hostel succeeds in reuniting old-world craft with contemporary design. By layering light, air, and flowing timber forms, VMA Design Studio has created a welcoming sanctuary that feels at once rooted in Bangkok’s past and poised for its future.
