Phuket's Bluepoint Condos Wins Another Architectural Award

April 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Bluepoint Condo's architects Paul Raff Studio have won a coveted Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) award for their design of the development’s sales pavilion.  This announcement has further increased excitement surrounding the eco-designed luxurious sea view condos located at the southern tip of Patong Beach in Phuket.



The pavilion design was submitted under the ‘Small Buildings, Design Excellence’ category, described by the OAA as “Recognizing the innovative skills of Ontario architects in creating spaces, buildings and communities that respect and enhance the environment and enrich human activity."   The Bluepoint Pavilion was evaluated based on five criteria: creativity, context, sustainability, good design/good business and legacy, by a jury of architecture peers.



Paul Raff describes his design “As a project that transforms a prefab box-frame and off-the-shelf planks into an artful, dynamic pavilion. The pavilion sits strikingly atop a plateau, opening up to and powerfully framing the phenomenal view of Patong Bay and the Andaman Sea”.



Paul Raff continues, “The pavilion’s form, material and construction were inspired by the iconic regional presence of the curved wooden boats of local fishermen. Fishing boats today are still constructed in the manner of the region’s first-known inhabitants 2000 years ago, by curving lengths of timber over a gunnel framework. For the pavilion, traditional forms and materials are reinterpreted to accentuate the site’s landscape and panoramic views".



In keeping with Bluepoint’s sustainability ethos the pavilion is primarily made out of an innovative wood composite material composed of sawdust waste from timber mills. It is also extremely durable. The pavilion’s form is shaped to shade the interior reducing heat gain and associated carbon footprint by over 60%.



The pavilion is used for the sales and marketing of Bluepoint Condos (currently under construction) which it overlooks. It gives potential buyers a place to sit comfortably and see the development, providing them with a focused experience of both the immediate site and the broader landscape. It also gives potential buyers a tactile experience of the creativity and quality of their future investment.



Paul Raff adds, “The pavilion exemplifies how even with extremely limited means, architectural creativity can deliver poetic forms and experiences in an environmentally sustainable manner”.



Paul Raff Studio also won the 2009 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's 'Excellence Innovations In Architecture' award for designing Bluepoint's Louver Façade System. The design was generated from a simple idea to maximize sea views while maintaining privacy. This then led to further ecological benefits including reducing cooling costs by shading the homes from the tropical sun. In the creation of Bluepoint Condos, great respect has been given to the environment.



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