The Tropical Asian House

The Tropical Asian House explores how cultural influences, tradition, religion, technology, and the forces of globalization fuse together to produce a contemporary tropical architecture.

With over 350 vibrant photographs, extensive commentary and architectural plans, this architecture and design book showcases the modern luxury homes of Asia. The Sustainable Asian House celebrates modern architecture as an expression of environmental, social and cultural sustainability, as seen in some of the most breathtaking luxury homes in Southeast Asia. Gorgeous residences in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines beautifully exemplify the trend towards sustainable architecture that engages with the natural world. The 27 houses featured in this fascinating and stunningly photographed architectural digest provide endless inspiration for architects, designers, builders and home buyers. The Sustainable Asian House illuminates the region's reinterpretation of tropical architecture and the growing interest in traditional materials and craftsmanship. There is a new emphasis on fresh air, natural light and spatial variety, reflecting the importance of well-being. Designers are considering issues such as orientation to the sun and prevailing winds to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint. Instead of treating the tropical climate as something to overcome, the architects featured in this book present regional solutions on how to live appropriately in the contemporary tropical world.

Tropical Asian Style showcases contemporary residences throughout Southeast Asia—from Chiang Mai to Bali, Kuala Lampur to Java. This contemporary Asian design book contains over 400 color photos by world-renowned photographer Luca Invernizzi Tettoni. Each home is designed to achieve perfect harmony with its tropical surroundings. In this book, the essential design elements of these homes are presented thematically, to show the various ways in which the harmony and beauty is achieved. Well-known architects, designers and authorities on Asia's cultural heritage provide insightful views on the houses and their design elements. A final section on tropical decorating provides helpful tips on selecting Asian fabrics, furniture and artifacts.

In the 21st century, Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila will be among the 20 mega-cities in the world, each with a population of over 10 million. Now more than ever, urban houses in Asia need to meet the challenges of space constraints, the high cost of land, heat and humidity, pollution and privacy. The urban house must do more with less and show how small can be beautiful.

With rich photography and insightful commentary, this Thai architecture and interior design book showcases some of the finest modern masterpieces in Southeast Asia. A tremendous body of sophisticated and sensitively designed architectural work has been produced in Thailand in the first decade of the 21st century. The 25 houses in The Modern Thai House illustrate the radical new ideas coming from a dynamic younger generation of architects who are producing work comparable with and sometimes even surpassing the very best architecture in the world. Most of these architects were trained in the U.S. or U.K. and reflect not only American and European sensibilities but also affinities with their contemporaries in Asia —including Japan, China, Singapore, and Bali—all hotbeds for innovation in modern design. The houses in this book are readily accessible from Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiangmai. They reflect a wide variety of concerns and solutions, such as: sustainability; responses to climate; strategies for cooling with minimal electricity; openness versus security in a large metropolis such as Bangkok; cultural sensitivity and responsiveness, as evidenced in a "three-generation house," built for a society in which the extended family is still prevalent; and cultural memory, as in the use of elements such as pilings, verandahs, and steeply pitched roofs with large overhangs that echo traditional Thai designs. Nurtured by an increasingly knowledgeable and wealthy clientele, modern architecture in Thailand is emerging with a variety of innovative architectural expressions.

Tropical House celebrates a growing trend toward stylish globalization in interior design. More than 25 stunning houses and condos in and around Manila, the Philippines, evoke a distinctive tropical-modern-fusion style that is gaining popularity around the world. All these fine residences comprise a synthesis of East-West trends and contemporary furnishings—as Filipino designers merge sleek modernist furniture with local designers' "soulful creations" in natural hardwoods and other tropical materials. Over 250 full-color photographs of outstanding Filipino residences will inspire readers with their diverse and contemporary looks. From vintage glamour to classic modern with bold artful accents, to the clean, glam look known as "contemporary chic," this design book showcases the myriad tastes of the Philippines. The selection features modernist designs referred to as Zen or Minimalist; admires the modern Global Eclectics, those well-traveled collectors of beautiful objects from East and West; and celebrates the individualists who mix European furniture with acutely creative accents from local designers or who frame edgy artworks by Filipino artists with iconic design inspired by Japanese architecture. Such are the global interiors and architecture of today's tropical Asia.

Featuring over 250 photographs and insightful commentary, this topical interior design book will add a uniquely Asian-Pacific element to your home. The Philippines is home to a new generation of craftsmen, including furniture makers, artists, sculptors, and weavers. They specialize in taking the indigenous materials of the country—pina, abaca, capiz shell, bamboo, rattan, to name a few—and producing contemporary items that would be as at home in a New York loft as on a tropical verandah. Harnessing both Asian- and Latin-inspired style and modern techniques, they produce a cornucopia of fine contemporary furniture and "authentic" furnishing items. In this sourcebook of decorating and shopping ideas, these objects are presented within metropolitan and rural present-day interiors. From furniture and furnishings to table settings and lighting, all the homes, many never photographed before, are accented with artifacts in modern designs. Tropical Interiors shows how Philippine style is clearly now a global phenomenon and can be applied to homes worldwide.