ASA JOURNAL 11/2023

170
professional / studio
AOMO ARCHITECTURE OF MY OWN
171
Shopzilla Market
We pay more attention to the
details, materials, light, and
shadows. In our design, we always
keep in mind that we would not
do anything beyond simplicity,
add anything unnecessary, or
push it too far or over the limit.
I always instruct my juniors to
value customers’ money as if
they were using their own. With
this approach, it’s also easier for
the management and maintenance
of the buildings.
Shopzilla Market
Can you tell us about the origin
of ‘AOMO’ and how it started?
After graduating from the Faculty of
Architecture at Chulalongkorn University,
I worked for 4-5 years before studying in
the United States. After that, I returned to
Thailand around 2005 and later worked
for an architectural design company for
about 9 years. Then I saw that large-scale
design work did not meet my practice philosophy,
so I resigned. Also, at that time,
there was a fair amount of work coming
in. So I set up the company ‘AOMO’
(Architecture of My Own), or, that is to
say, it’s my own company. With that, I
can do anything and do whatever I want,
with the freedom to manage everything.
It all starts from there. AOMO has been
operating for more than eight and a half
years now.
How do you divide the tasks in
each part of the company?
Our company consists of a team of 6
architects, 3 interior designers, administrative
staff, and 1 secretary, together
with me, there are 11 people. But every
aspect of the operation will begin with
me. I will start planning each project and
then distribute the work to the team of
juniors to help each other or be responsible
for managing and developing it. For
larger projects, sometimes 2-3 people
will be assigned to come together and
try to join in brainstorming to look for
design possibilities and work back and
forth before bringing them together to
consider together again, looking for the
pros and cons. We try to assist those
juniors in this process by minimizing disadvantages
and increasing advantages,
and then presenting them to customers at
the same time, regardless of whether it is
my design or any of the team members’.
We consider each project delivered to the
owner to be the best solution for our team.
Could you elaborate on the
studio’s philosophy of “simple
but not bland”?
Our approach is an architectural design
that does not focus on form. Our design
will be simple, and when the building is
simple, we will try to make it interesting.
We will pay attention to the details,
materials, light and shadow, creating
more dimensions for the building. In our
design, we always keep in mind that we
would not do anything beyond simplicity,
add anything unnecessary, or push it
too far or over the limit. For example, we
don’t add any unnecessary decorative
components to the design, except that
we can add functions to it so that we
will put them in. Therefore, I always instruct
my juniors to value customers’
money as if they were using their own.
We can work further if the team understands
this point well. This understanding
is necessary. You need to realize
what is superficial, and if so, it will be cut
off. With this approach, it’s also easier
for the management and maintenance
of the buildings.
Please share some examples
of a design that you think is
challenging or impressive.
I think of a market design in the Lat
Krabang area. At first, I asked myself if
we would design a market. I then asked
the owner if he wanted us to design a
market and what he expected from our
design. The owner told us he wants a
market that attracts people, more like a
tourist attraction than an ordinary market.
It will be of the same type as the Chatuchak
market. The challenge for this project
is that we have to work with steel
structures that are cast iron or structural
steel. And because we want to show the
whole roof structure combined with the
owner’s desire to use steel, which looks
more expensive than conventional steel,
it was also the first project we worked
on with Siam Yamato Steel (SYS).
The entire structure was prefabricated
and assembled on-site with no welding
at all. Only then are there a few mistakes,
and even then, they are only 2 millimeters.
The structure was joined with knots at
every point. For me, it is something new
to work on in terms of project size and
format. Even though I have worked with
such a project type before abroad, in
Thailand, I have never met anyone doing
a small project with this approach. We
have come to help the owner with finding
a contractor, negotiating prices, and
finding subcontractors to help until the
construction cost comes out very cheap.
In addition, the appearance that comes
out responds to the weather, wind or rain,
and has an interesting form. Although
the structure is in the form of an ordinary
lean-to roof, we adjusted it slightly to
make it look more interesting. This market
has received quite a good response.
What do you see as the design
identity of AOMO’s work?
I don’t think we have a particular identity.
We tailor management and design to
each project in different ways, according
to each project. But taking care of
the details of the building could be
something we pay attention to more
than average because our buildings
are pretty simple and straightforward.
So, perhaps our identity is the design
approach that pays special attention
to details.
What are your future plans or
goals for AOMO?
From the beginning, I designed the
company in such a way that the younger
members of the team could take my
place at any time. I might either put my
hands down or step back and let the
new generation take care of it. But it is
not so easy when looking at where we
are now. They need to work in the same
direction and can continue to work as
AOMO, which will help drive the company
in the same direction with the same
approach and philosophy. However, it
is pretty unlikely to find someone now.
I may have to say that I have to keep
watching. Also, in the future, I want to
choose more jobs, and it is the type of
project or work that we are interested
in doing. It is also expected that the
company will shift more in the direction
of developers, which will correspond
to the type of work direction we want
to reach.
www.aomo-architect.com