Quick Facts
Biography
Ong-ard Satrabhandhu is a traditionalist architect. His firm Ong-ard architects, is committed to linking the classical and traditional languages of East and West. Ong-ard received his B. Arch from Cornell University in 1965 and M. Arch from Yale University in 1967. At Cornell he studied under Colin Rowe.
The book of his work, "A Tradition of Serenity: The Tropical Houses of Ong-ard Satrabhandhu" ( Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York ) was published in 2015.
Career
Ong-ard has helped bring recognition to the plight of traditional Lanna buildings and temples whose steeply pitched and repeated room forms are so characteristic of the vernacular architecture for which he has been a defender and advocate for preservation. What Ong-ard Satrabhandhu’s architecture achieves is a nearly seamless bridge between tradition and invention.
One of his best known work is Rachamankha. Allusions to the Chiang Mai temple architecture solidify the link of this new place to the old architecture of the temple city. The courtyard model is exploited for its inward-looking, introspective character and — in a hot, humid climate — provides oases for the public and private spaces. Materials, such as the clay tile of the roofs and the turned teak columns, are authentic physical reminders of the referential antecedents, the courtyard houses of China and Nepal.
" In a culture where kitsch is norm, the authentic vernacular and classical creations of Ong-ard Satrabhandhu stand as vigourous, if lone way‐signs to a civilized future. " Léon Krier
Traditional form of Urbanism
Ong-ard is involved in the planning and architectural design of external envelope of “One Nimman” Urban development project in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
This project is motivated by a desire to create an environment of beauty, dignity, charm and order. The goal is to design timeless value urban spaces, well-defined series of related outdoor rooms or piazza, pedestrian streets defined by firm boundaries with openings in strategic points to allow visitors to have vista into the layering of spaces within.
Our urban fabric consists of a variety of building types, all linked together by colonnades, with function that goes beyond providing shelter against the elements. They help create unity to the whole project and hopefully an example for future developments.