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These unusual wood prehab houses named Soe Ker Tie Kias meaning “Butterfly Houses” were designed by TYIN Tegnestue, a non-profit group of student architects. Located in Noh Bo, Tak, Thailand, these eco-friendly homes are named for their innovative flip-up roof design which provides natural ventilation and collects rain water. Words by architect: The main driving force behind the project was to somehow recreate what these children would have experienced in a more normal situation. we wanted every child to have their own private space, a home to live in and a neighbourhood where they could interact and play. These six sleeping units are our answer to this.
Because of their appearances the buildings were named Soe Ker Tie Hias by the workers; The Butterfly Houses. The bambooweaving technique used on the side and back facades is the same used in local houses nd crafts. Most of the bamboo is harvested within a few kilometer of the site. The special roof shape of the Soe Ker Tie Houses enables an effective, natural ventilation, at the same time as it collects the rain water. This renders the areas around the buildings more useful during the rainy season, and gives the possibility of collecting the water in drier periods.
The iron wood construction is prefabricated and assembled on-site, using bolts to ensure reasonable precision and strenght. Most of the materials is delivered by the Karen National union on the Burmese side, and this dependency on tropic timber has led to a line of difficult and complex problems to be addressed.
By raising the buildings from the ground, on four foundations cast in old tires, problems with moisture and rot in the construction are prevented. After a six month long mutual learning process with the locals in Noh Bo we hope that we have left something useful behind. Important principles like bracing, material economization and moisture prevention may possibly lead to a more sustainable building tradition in the future.
