Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand
Category: Residential Towers
Year: 2023
Architects: Architects 49 Limited (A49)
Lead Architect: Suwat Vasapinyokul
Client: Proud Real Estate Public Company Limited
Photographer: Nattakit Jeerapatmaitree
Vehha Hua Hin reinterprets the idea of a coastal retreat for contemporary living. Located in Hua Hin, one of Thailand’s most established resort destinations, the project responds to a growing desire among urban residents for a healthier, slower, and more balanced lifestyle without disconnecting from the city.
Within a few hours of Bangkok, Hua Hin has long served as a place of restoration, where the rhythm of daily life is shaped by nature, open skies, sea breezes, and outdoor living. Vehha transforms these qualities into a residential architecture that supports well-being through everyday experience.
The 31-storey residential tower is situated within a mixed-use destination developed by Proud Group alongside the Holiday Inn Resort and Vana Nava Water Park. Positioned at the edge of a protected beachfront zone where future high-rise development is restricted, the site offers uninterrupted views of both the Gulf of Thailand and the distant Khao Sam Roi Yot mountain range. The building was carefully oriented and shaped to maximize these visual connections, allowing every residence to benefit from expansive views of nature while maintaining privacy and comfort.
Rather than adopting a conventional vertical tower, Vehha introduces a distinctive stepped form that responds simultaneously to planning regulations, environmental performance, and quality of life. The terraced massing gradually recedes as it rises, creating opportunities for outdoor spaces, sky gardens, and communal terraces throughout the building. This architectural strategy reduces the perception of density while allowing daylight, natural ventilation, and greenery to penetrate deep into the residential environment.
At the heart of the project is the belief that wellness should not be confined to dedicated facilities, but embedded within the architecture itself. Instead of concentrating amenities on a single podium level, Vehha distributes communal destinations vertically throughout the building.
A sequence of landscaped terraces and shared spaces, including Nature Lab, Co-Kitchen, Living Studio, Garden Theatre, Glamping Space, and Sky Meditation areas, encourages residents to move through the building, encounter nature, and engage with one another as part of their daily routines. These interventions transform circulation into experience and create opportunities for both social interaction and personal retreat.
Environmental intelligence played a fundamental role in shaping the project. Extensive studies of views, daylight, solar exposure, wind flow, rainfall, energy performance, and acoustic comfort informed the design process. The building form was refined through environmental simulation to optimize natural light, reduce heat gain, improve airflow, and create comfortable outdoor environments at height. Open voids carved into the mass enhance cross-ventilation and connect residents with the surrounding climate, while planted terraces contribute to cooling and improve the overall microclimate of the building.
Particular attention was given to acoustic comfort due to the site’s proximity to the Hua Hin railway corridor. Noise assessments conducted at different elevations informed façade strategies and building envelope solutions, ensuring that residents can enjoy natural ventilation, sea views, and outdoor living without compromising comfort. At the same time, the façade was designed as an environmental filter, balancing solar protection, privacy, airflow, and views through a carefully articulated system of balconies, screens, and vertical elements.
The project’s wellness agenda is further supported through sustainable design measures. Energy-efficient systems include VRF air-conditioning, LED lighting, lighting controls, EV charging infrastructure, and energy monitoring systems. Water conservation strategies incorporate low-flow fixtures, efficient pumping systems, rainwater collection, water recycling, and drought-tolerant planting. These measures reduce resource consumption while contributing to a healthier and more resilient living environment.
More than a residential tower, Vehha Hua Hin is conceived as a vertical retreat. Through the integration of landscape, climate-responsive design, environmental performance, and community-oriented spaces, the project creates an architecture that supports physical comfort, mental restoration, and social well-being. It offers a contemporary model for coastal living where wellness is not an amenity, but an integral part of everyday life.
