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SHOPHOUSE2GO! PROTOTYPES, Renovating Old Row Houses for Light, Air, and Modern Urban Living
In the heart of Bangkok, a 3-story shophouse once dark and cramped has been transformed into a light-filled, livable home thanks to the thoughtful, resource-conscious design of DRFJ – Design & Research by Fusinpaiboon & Jang.
With a mission to redefine urban housing for today’s city dwellers, their latest project, SHOPHOUSE2GO! PROTOTYPES, offers a replicable renovation strategy that balances function, cost, and heritage.
Set within the legal framework of Thailand’s Building Control Act, and working with a limited budget and a compact floor plan, DRFJ embraced the constraints — turning what could have been a challenge into an opportunity to rethink how old row houses can be updated for modern life.
A Home That Breathes
The layout of Vom House emphasizes open-air circulation and passive cooling.
The ground and second floors serve as the primary living zones, housing a semi-outdoor courtyard, dining area, kitchen, reading space, and a lush internal garden — all connected by expansive openings that bring in daylight and allow breezes to flow through.
Private functions like bedrooms are limited to just two, placed on the third floor to prioritize communal space — a departure from typical Vietnamese housing that often emphasizes bedroom quantity over shared living quality.
From Tight and Tired to Airy and Adaptable
The 3-story row house had typical challenges: poor light and ventilation, low ceilings, and fixed structural divisions. DRFJ chose to preserve original elements — including beams, structural bays (each 4 meters wide), stair positioning, and sun-shading exterior walls — while reorganizing the spaces to introduce natural light, ventilation, and flexibility.
Gone is the image of the claustrophobic townhouse. In its place is a calm, contemporary residence, where old meets new in subtle, respectful ways.
A Room-by-Room Breakdown
Ground Floor: The entry level was opened up to serve as a garage and multipurpose foyer, flooded with light from front and rear openings that lead to a small garden.
Second Floor: Retaining the original terrazzo staircase, the second floor functions as a home office, made visually spacious with clean white tones and balcony light.
Third Floor: This is the private zone, with a bedroom designed for peace and quiet, featuring double-layered walls for sound insulation and sliding glass doors for access to the balcony and soft, filtered daylight.
Rooftop: Inspired by urban condo living, the rooftop was converted into a compact outdoor lounge with a green roof. DRFJ used sandwich roof panels for insulation and kept the surrounding walls intact, simply repainting them for a fresh yet humble finish.
The designers opted for freestanding furniture to allow future spatial adaptation, and made strategic use of materials to achieve comfort without driving up costs.
A Scalable Model for Urban Renewal
What sets SHOPHOUSE2GO! apart is its intentional scalability. We wanted to create a prototype that others could follow, says the DRFJ team.
By maintaining the character of the original row house while optimizing it for 21st-century use, this project demonstrates how design can bridge past and present — and be accessible, too.
With its minimalist intervention and maximum impact, the home is now a peaceful, breathable, and adaptable urban dwelling, surrounded by the hustle of Bangkok yet shielded within its clean, coherent framework.
Explore the ideas behind this renovation live at
(Re)Thinking Inside the Box: Vol. 1 – Living in Small Urban Spaces, a design talk that highlights opportunities and challenges in urban living and housing across Southeast Asia.
Sunday, August 4, 2024
1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Room MR 214–216, 2nd Floor, BITEC Bangna, Bangkok
