Hotels 30 Jun 2026 read
In Thailand, a 100-year-old residence stands transformed into a creative space for gatherings
Baan Trok Tua Ngork is where the past and present mingle seamlessly to further community experiences
Hotels 30 Jun 2026 read
Baan Trok Tua Ngork is where the past and present mingle seamlessly to further community experiences
In the bustling district of Pom Prap Sattru Phai in Bangkok, a heritage building aged 100, stands quietly like a wise owl that has witnessed a century worth of changes. The ancestral home of the influential Assakul family, this building used to be their residence. For years after, it was unoccupied until the fourth generation took over and transformed it into a commercial space. Called Baan Trok Tua Ngork, the project is named after the Bean Sprout Alley and has become a melting pot for food and beverage establishments, events, and retail concepts that are housing creatives and entrepreneurs with common values infusing the home with a renewed spirit.
For the restoration process, the Assakuls partnered with Stu/d/o Architects. Since the building is in a historic neighbourhood, it was important to retain the external facade while making changes to suit the building’s new identity and usage. They approached it as a revitalisation project where changes to the exterior were kept to a minimum to honour the heritage while the internal spaces got a makeover to fit its new operation.
The multi-level structure of the previous home served well to house different projects and separate their spaces, but solid partitions were replaced with glass walls to allow more natural light to flow in and reflect, enhancing visibility. The original windows, doors, and the staircase in the courtyard were retained to seamlessly blend elements of the past and future.
The location of the Baan Trok Tua Ngork is also an important part of the cultural fabric. The area is home to a large Chinese community with multi-generational businesses, temples, restaurants and architecture. Hence, it was pertinent to Baan Trok Tua Ngork’s caretakers that despite commercialising the space, it still retains the authenticity of this area.
They also wanted to ensure that in modernising space, the history of the building isn’t forgotten. Cultural practices and stories in Thailand live in the memories of the people who’ve lived different eras and passed down only verbally to the next generations. So, when time came to revive Baan Trok Tua Ngork and do justice to its heritage, there were no physical records to refer to. Accumulation of material was done by talking to those who had seen the evolution of the building over the years like Hia Wiwat from the Thai-Chinese café near the building who has been around for 60 years and remembers Baan Trok Tua Ngork from the time it was an active residence. The stories that came from Hia’s memories (along with his O-Liang i.e iced coffee) became part of a record that is now shared with visitors, ensuring that integral parts of the building’s history are shared and not lost to the sands of time.
The tenants and creative projects housed in Baan Trok Tua Ngork share their values with this legacy building — that of being rooted in their own culture and heritage while catering to a modern ethos.
The first floor houses Delia, a Mexican eatery paying homage to their Abuelitas through traditional cooking methods while using regional and seasonal Thai ingredients.
On the third floor sits a cocktail bar, Messengerservice, ranked 90 on Asia’s 50 best bars list of 2025. Next to it on the same floor is In-Residence, a space that hosts a rotating series of curated events and exhibitions of local and international artists, brands and creatives.
One such event was the Louis Vuitton pop up showcased earlier this year. Given the legacy of the building, it was no surprise that Louis Vuitton decided to exhibit the pop-up here. Styled like a hotel, it paid homage to 130 years of the iconic LV monogram by displaying its journey through the years right from inception and how it went from trunks to travel bags and ateliers to runways and iconography. A visual and historical treat for visitors.
Creative events and exhibits like these are likely to draw in a variety of patrons. For seamless networking between these unique sets of guests, the fourth floor serves as a physical catalyst. A green hideaway perched above the Bangkok bustle, it is designed like a living room and called literally The Living Room. This is a crossover space between public and private where guests interact with each other at their own pace to unwind, get inspired and discover and discuss new ideas just as you would in the living room of your house.
There is something special about taking a heritage space and redoing it to honour what it was while cherishing what it is becoming. At Baan Trok Tua Ngork, the vision is to drive community experiences forward while staying connected to roots and preserving every version of the space to seamlessly go from one century to the next.
