Chiangmai Life Architects and Construction
Chiangmai Life Architects and Construction specializes in eco & sustainable architecture
At CLA our culture is predicated on meeting the challenge of well designed, beautifully executed sustainable architecture.
We focus on organic design integrating natural materials with 21st century engineering knowledge.
Connecting and combining are at the core of this design & lifestyle philosophy: connecting natural materials with modern engineering science, combining natural materials with modern materials, combining traditional approaches with modern space feeling, connecting inside and outside.
That connection is created by design and by the choice of materials.
We focus on organic architecture with free-flowing designs integrating buildings into their environment and into the nature of the place. This means observing nature’s designs, like the curves of leaves, mountain ridges, river flows or whatever else is an attractive line at a given place.
Natural materials automatically create a connection by touching the heart. Therefore, they promote harmony and wellbeing. At the same time, they are highly functional when used correctly. They provide great heat/cold insulation, noise insulation, they last long, they are a pleasure to look at and touch and create a heart-warming room feeling without much further decoration.
Bamboo and clay/earth are our materials of choice to achieve our objective to create such connecting bioclimatic spaces for homes, community, school or leisure use, fitting compassionately into their natural surroundings.
The goal is to create spaces conducive for well-being that generates smiles and happiness. Spaces that maximize well-being, also maximize creativity and productivity.
Modern bamboo & earth architecture is our design contribution to the area of sustainable architecture and human lifestyle using bamboo, rammed earth and adobe bricks in different scenarios, from structural, to insulation, room separation, decorative, but always keeping in mind to create beautiful buildings ideally suited to the tropical climate.
Based in Thailand CLA (Chiangmai Life Architects) designs and CLC (Chiangmai Life Construction) is specializing on big bamboo structures such as big bamboo trusses for halls, eco-resorts, villas, houses, schools as well as office and factory spaces.
And of course bamboo and earth / clay keep our carbon footprint low – at the least we aim our green architecture to be carbon neutral or net zero carbon, with bamboo architecture we often have a negative carbon footprint, meaning our projects absorb more carbon then they release.
In order to extend the lifecycle and thus increase sustainability, we treat all bamboo used in our buildings with natural Borax salts.
The philosophy is to increase the quality of life of the client by using natural materials combined with modern, light and clean sustainable architecture.
When using earth and bamboo as construction materials, you get closer to nature in many ways. For earth & bamboo architecture it is essential to understand the interaction of these materials with the elements.
That is what we call “Life Architecture”
Achievements include:
2019: FIBRA Award, Paris, in the Load Bearing category
2018: Dezeen Awards Winner, London, in the Civic and Cultural Buildings category
WAN Awards Winner, London, in the Sport in Architecture category
Architizer A+ Awards in the Architecture & Engineering as well as Sports & Recreation categories
IDA Gold Awards for Sustainable Architecture & for Institutional Architecture
The Golden Lotus International Design Master Award, Macau
World Architecture Festival Shortlist
2017: Idea Tops Design Award, Shenzhen, for Green Architecture
Chiang Mai Design Award for Architecture
2016: Terra Award, Paris, for Modern Earth Architecture