ASA JOURNAL 14/2023

SHER MAKER
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A large gable roof covering 200 square meters of the studio space, nestled peacefully in
nature, located Sher Maker’s studio on a plot of land that initially had large trees, such as
the nonsee trees and the giant acacia trees. The building was done in a “self-built” manner—
built and constructed by themselves. A team of professional builders handled the main
structure, and after that, the studio started dealing with the rest with the idea of building
for temporary use for ten years. Hence, the structure of the building uses simple materials
and is designed with a simple geometric form. The design was focused on the hall and the
multi-purpose area of the building, and since there were large existing trees in some parts
of the building, the structure was designed to merge into the building area.
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ทีมงาน Sher Maker
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พื้นที่เวิร์กช็อป
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“A good architecture studio must be one where architects and staff can
concentrate well on the work. Therefore, we lowered the eaves to work where
we could truly concentrate on the work. In addition, there should also be a
spacious non-working space, which could be half and half. It will be a space
where everyone can sit, talk, meet with technicians, or even socialize and do
workshops. These areas are important, and we believe they will contribute to
discovering new things.”
Design and Build
Sher Maker sets up their studio operation to have a design team of 5–6 people. The number
can vary depending on the project, but it stays within these numbers. The members of the
design team are primarily in charge of three aspects. The first part entails conducting research
and gathering material data, as well as working on mock-ups and in workshops. The next
phase encompassed the design development, and the third was to create workable drawings.
They also collaborate with a small team of builders and artisans. Patcharada stressed that
these builders are not part of the studio’s in-house staff and that Sher Maker does not undertake
turnkey projects in the way that most people would think.
“We use the phrase ‘design and build’ because we have a close
working relationship with this team of builders.” They mostly
work on our projects, but as our independent partner, they have the
authority to make decisions, estimate expenses, and revise details
of a project together with us. It’s almost like we’re two units working
together.”
Working directly with builders and artisans and having some of them on the team assists
Sher Maker greatly in transforming limits into ‘senses in design.’ To elaborate on this subject,
Sher Maker’s approach to architectural design does not consider design to be a linear process.
Patcharada recalls how they sketched out the design of their office building on a single
piece of paper, then began the self-built process that would eventually fill in the gaps through
discussions about sketches, proportions of various components, and materials. These conversations
encompass details of the construction and materials purchased prior to the actual
commencement of production, including the purchase of the necessary tools and supplies.
When the budget is very restricted, having builders on the team helps a great deal to eliminate
certain needless steps in the production process.
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