“Forest House”, located in Chatuchak Bangkok, has challenged the trend of the rapid urbanization of the city, as green areas are sacrificed to meet the demand of residential areas causing impacts on the environment in many ways, importantly, air pollution. We can see from the fact that Bangkok has been facing a PM 2.5 concentration levels of air condition throughout the year, leaving visible effects on people’s health.

位于曼谷乍都乍的“森林之家”挑战了城市快速城市化的趋势，因为牺牲了绿地来满足住宅区的需求，以多种方式对环境造成影响，尤其是空气污染。从曼谷全年都面临着PM2.5浓度水平的空调，对人们的健康产生了明显的影响。

© Napon Jaturapuchapornpong

To solve this issue, growing trees seems to be a straightforward way that helps to trap particulate matters and producing oxygen according to the research. Hence, “Forest House” aims to utilize this approach and find a sustainable and low maintenance way for bringing back greenery into a private residence while maximizing plot area. 

为了解决这个问题，根据研究，种植树木似乎是一种简单的方法，有助于捕获颗粒物并产生氧气。因此， “森林之家”旨在利用这种方法，找到一种可持续且低维护的方式，将绿色植物带回私人住宅，同时最大化地块面积。

© Prapan Napawongdee

A new bigger house is built to replace the previous smaller one in the same area to accommodate a larger family. Its layout is segmented into 3 sections providing 2 courtyards in-between, enhancing good wind flow to every room in a rich green environment.

在同一地区建造了一座新的大房子，以取代以前的小房子，以容纳一个更大的家庭。它的布局分为3个部分，中间提供2个庭院，在丰富的绿色环境中增强每个房间的良好风流。

floor plans

With careful design, the limited space - 3 floors (including the rooftop) of 300 square meters in total can house more than 100 trees. It has provided far enough oxygen for 200 people, even exceeding the need of a 7-people family since 1 tree can already produce a sufficient amount of oxygen for 2 people. 

经过精心设计，有限的空间 - 3层（包括屋顶）总共300平方米，可容纳100多棵树。它为200人提供了足够的氧气，甚至超过了7人家庭的需求，因为1棵树已经可以为2人生产足够的氧气。

Diagram

Here, only 1-2 years old trees with a trunk of 1-inch diameter size are selected due to their young root quality, having a higher chance to adapt to limited soil conditions. The chosen species are basically indigenous trees that demand less watering, resulting in a space with rich biodiversity that consists of more than 20 species including evergreen, flowering, and fruit-bearing plants. All trees will eventually thrive through the years, rather than initially being an instant thick forest that might not last long.

在这里，仅选择树干直径为1英寸大小的2-1年生树，因为它们的根系质量较嫩，适应有限土壤条件的机会更高。选择的物种基本上是需要较少浇水的本地树木，从而形成了一个具有丰富生物多样性的空间，由20多种物种组成，包括常绿，开花和结果植物。所有的树木最终都会在岁月中茁壮成长，而不是最初成为可能不会持续很长时间的瞬间茂密的森林。

© Jinnawat Borihankijanan

The rooftop has then become an ideal space for urban farming as it exposes to plenty of sunlight. As a result, this space is occupied by 1-meter high planters, where Thai fruits and traditional herbs can be grown to serve fresh organic food for the entire family. Moreover, it can also be used for other functions such as dining and cloth drying.

屋顶成为城市农业的理想空间，因为它暴露在充足的阳光下。因此，这个空间被1米高的花盆占据，可以种植泰国水果和传统草药，为整个家庭提供新鲜的有机食品。此外，它还可用于其他功能，如餐饮和布料烘干。

© Jinnawat Borihankijanan

© Jinnawat Borihankijanan

In the long run, simple maintenance is planned to ensure this compact forest’s growth with no need for excessive resources. The slow drip irrigation system is chosen for water-saving, along with perforated tubes running through the topsoil layer to maintain an adequate amount of humidity. Dry leaves fallen from trees are also collected to fill up the forest floor and will gradually turn into natural nutrient-rich fertilizer during the degradation process. In addition, pruning is required quarterly to provide enough space for trees with a slower growth rate to become fully flourished. With this thoughtful and effective design, Forest House’s lush greenery has thrived beautifully, reintegrating trees back to the city once again.

从长远来看，计划进行简单的维护，以确保这片紧凑森林的生长，而不需要过多的资源。选择慢速滴灌系统以节水，以及穿过表土层的穿孔管以保持足够的湿度。从树上掉下来的干叶也被收集起来填满森林地面，并在降解过程中逐渐变成天然营养丰富的肥料。此外，需要每季度修剪一次，以便为生长速度较慢的树木提供足够的空间，使其完全繁茂。凭借这种周到而有效的设计，森林之家郁郁葱葱的绿色植物蓬勃发展，树木再次回归城市。

© Prapan Napawongdee