Another Rawai Eco-Cool Thai Home

With today’s emphasis on reducing energy consumption and lowering your carbon footprint you might expect a Phuket house that naturally remains on average 4-9 degrees C cooler than the outside temperature would get a lot of attention. Sadly, it does not, and the Thai Government sponsored Baan Harn Song Program (energy saving house) is now unfortunately defunct and no longer making these house plans available. The four homes designs produced by this program demonstrate that if you are willing to accept some design limitations and use common sense in selecting building materials it is relatively easy to build a home in Phuket that naturally remains comfortable without air conditioning.

Phuket enjoys one of the mildest year around climates found anywhere in the world. The key to remaining comfortable in the tropics is to seek shelter from the fierce tropical sun and protection from the rain. The design focus in a Eco-Cool Thai Home is centered on preventing heat buildup in and around the home by reflecting the tropical solar heat away from the home while harnessing the cooling monsoon winds that caress Phuket from the northeast for half of the year than reverse 180 degrees and blow from the southwest the rest of the year. Each Eco-Cool Thai Home is built facing northeast which has the same effect as tacking a sailboat into the wind. Double wide extra large windows are positioned on the north and south side of the house to catch the monsoon winds and naturally cool the home. Using (old-fashioned) louvered wooden shutters in place of glass window panes allow air flow even at night or during rain storms. As in traditional Thai design the roof not only affords protection from rain but acts as the primary heat shield. A steep-angled roof running on an east west axis in effect reduces the surface area exposed to the harsh tropical sunlight and the shiny light grey ceramic tiles further reflect heat and glare away from the home. The extended roof overhang lends a distinctive Thai style feel to the house and prevents heat buildup by shading the sides of the house from the baking tropical sun. Catching and storing rainwater into a 20K liter underground water tank is another method of harvesting nature and reducing the strain on Phuket’s creaky over burdened infrastructure.     

Shielded from the heat and benefiting from a near constant breeze the open air design affords a true outdoor tropical lifestyle. The main daytime living area of this home is a large sheltered, naturally cool patio overlooking the pool and surrounded by a cooling lotus/fish pond with a beautiful waterfall.  Being energy efficient does not mean sacrificing quality of life as this spacious (240sq M) 3-bed 3-bath home comes complete with a large office area, fully furnished modern kitchen, designer bathrooms, and beautifully finished hardwood doors, windows and floors. Priced at only 7.9 million Baht the house sits on a quarter rai plot of land (400sq M) and offers both privacy and security.