Exotic Home Feature
Technology with a Tropical Twist

Hidden away on a steep hill overlooking Patong Bay is a technological marvel, that is also one man's residence.

Ernst Bauer is in the business of aluminum glazing. His company, SUNPARADISE, has offices in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, England, Philippines and now Thailand. His factory is in Turkey. He has been coming to Thailand for 25 years. He likes the country so much that he decided to build a house here. Why Thailand? "It's safe. The people are nice, the food is great and the weather is wonderful. Plus it has easy access from Switzerland. When it's winter there, the snow and the cold make Switzerland not a good place to stay!"

He has spent two years looking for the ideal site for his house. When he first looked at this site, it did not look like much. "When the people first brought us here, it was nothing but jungle. Then they cut a place for us to walk and we went through and looked out at the magnificent view. "

Now, the jungle is gone and Mr Bauer's house stands on 1. 5 rai in its place. He loves the view, gets on very well with his neighbours and likes being near the amenities of Patong Beach in Phuket.

A black and granite staircase leads down to the main entrance, which is flanked by two fish ponds. The sound of gently running water greets you at the double front doors. Already one of the pools is well stocked with koi carp. As you walk through the front door into the house, you are confronted by space. The open-plan living room is in front of you but the entire wall is floor-to-ceiling windows, facing onto the azure blue expanse of Patong Bay. The view truly is stupendous and Mr Bauer has capitalized on it with the layout of the house.

To your left is the dining area, to your right the lounge. The cream and gold furniture is by La Casa Bangkok, which is imported from Spain, the handmade carpets from Turkey, the lights from Italy. There is a predominance of gilt and ormolu. Some pictures hang on the walls, but Mr. Bauer says he, with the help of his friends, is still building his collection. The ceilings are lit by large hanging candelabra. There have been a few installation problems and one of the candelabras once crashed to the floor. Luckily there was nothing underneath at the time, and no one was hurt. Since then, Mr. Bauer has made very sure the lights are secure.

Music plays a large role in Mr. Bauer's life and he has beautiful, very discreet Bang and Olufsen speakers installed in every room in the house; all connected to the stereo system in the lounge. Cables run through the ceiling. The living room speakers take the form of tall black and chrome columns that stand decoratively in the corners of the room.

Next to the lounge, there is the office; again complete with floor-to-ceiling folding windows and a large conference table. Here Mr. Bauer keeps his factory samples, demonstrating the features of his windows.
Mr. Bauer wanted to make the most of the tropical weather, so, of course, he installed his own window systems throughout the house. "Basically, the system was designed for Switzerland, where people want to be able to sit outside when it is sunny, but want to shut out the cold wind and snow. Here, it's the opposite, people want to be able to shut out the heat, when they use their air-conditioning, but they want to sit outside sometimes to enjoy the sunshine. The system works just as well for either purpose. "

There are three types of Sun Paradise window. With the folding design, the windows concertina so that you can open up the entire wall. Sliding windows each slide on their own track, so that you can slide all the panes behind the last one, and leave the rest of the space open. Turn and tilt windows can either swivel like a conventional window, or, if you turn the handle the other way, you can make them lean open like an oven door.

Weighing 90 kg each, an individual pane is quite heavy, being constructed of thick aluminum and double glass panels. However, sitting on tracks, they are very easy to manoeuvre and the quality of design and construction are such that even a 5-pane window feels as light as a feather to open. A polymide strip in the frames stops heat transfer through the aluminum and with the double glazing, means the windows are fully insulated, keeping the heat out and the cold air-conditioning in. This makes the house much more energy efficient and cuts electricity bills. The frames are 100% sealed to the glass, so it is virtually impossible for insects to penetrate. However, a self-draining feature has been built into the frames, so that if water should penetrate, it will run out.

The difference in the living room and office with the windows open was incredible. The feeling of living 'al fresco', sitting at the computer with the wind tousling your hair and the birds chirping was almost surreal. The contrast with the windows shut was immense. There was a sudden hush as the windows closed, the double glazing blocking out almost all outside noise.

Next to the office is the master bedroom that Mr Bauer uses. There are three master bedrooms, and all of them have floor to ceiling windows that open up fully onto the verandah, walk-in closet, safe, fridge and an electrical board, "so that if the electricity cuts out, the guest doesn't have to go looking all over the house for the fuses. "The ensuite bathroom really is stunning, with an enormous jacuzzi dominating the room, a sleek glass shower cabinet, and furniture from Switzerland. Personal touches are everywhere - here, a bamboo miniature motorcycle; there, an ormolu negro pageboy holding the towels, and for an intimate atmosphere, there are lights imitating stars in the ceiling above the jacuzzi.

The two other master bedrooms are downstairs along with three guest bedrooms - the main difference being no jacuzzi or shower cabinet, but a bathtub instead. All the lower floor bedrooms have sliding doors that open up on the pool and enjoy wonderful views of the sea. Windows in the lower corridor look into the fishponds. As you walk along the corridor, the carp come nosing up to the glass as if to say hello.

The lower floor also houses the utility rooms - the main electrical board, the boiler room (sound-proofed with SUNPARADISE doors), the sprinkler control room, the maid's room and the wine cellar. As a whimsical touch, the wine cellar has a vaulted ceiling, to make it look like the cellars of Europe.
A door leads outside to the pool terrace and on the way, you pass a fully-equipped gym. Mr Bauer finds time in his busy schedule to work out everyday, "otherwise I get fat". The gym features wall-mounted Bang and Olufsen speakers in cobalt blue and chrome.

From the outside, the house has a traditional Thai look, with stylised eaves and stairs sweeping down from the veranda to the kidney-shaped swimming pool. A major talking point is the 6 foot, smiling, model elephant that presides over the pool. "I wanted something funny around the pool. So, I thought, since we're in Thailand, why not an elephant? If we'd been in Africa, it would have been a lion. "Apparently, he found a 2 inch figuri??ne of exactly the elephant he wanted and had it copied to an impressive size. It even spouts water from its trunk.

The architect, Paul Ziltener, is from Lachen, Switzerland. A great deal of thought has been given to convenience and adaptability. There are two Leicht fitted kitchens, one behind the other, linked by a serving hatch. Both are fully gadget-equipped. One is more scenic, with curving counters and comfy bar-stools. This is for small private dinner parties, when the host is showing off his culinary skills, but still wants to entertain his guests. The other is for the caterers, when a larger function is held.

Automation is a big feature of this house. The curtains and the retractable mosquito nets are controlled by the push of a button. Keys are computer programmable; you can set the key to open any combination of doors, and if a key is lost, it can simply be cancelled.
Light switches are also computer programmable, with interchangeable panels that can be unplugged and replaced with larger or smaller panels, depending on the owner's requirements. The system runs off 12V switchboards, of which there are 17 in the house. The system is so high-tech that Mr. Bauer can call and switch on the lights using his mobile phone. Moreover, by using the internet, he can check which lights are currently on.

Even when the French windows are shut, there is a large sky-light above the atrium. When open, the breeze sweeps down the hill and into the house, creating very pleasant air-flow. You don't even have to worry about remembering to shut it again. When it rains, a sensor on top of the roof detects this and operates a motor which automatically shuts the window. Ingenious, huh!

The sky-light is not the only thing to be weather sensitive. The awnings on the second floor are also controlled by a wind vane on the roof. Because Mr. Bauer wanted to make the most of Thai sunshine, he had retractable awnings installed above the living area windows. However, being on the coast, the wind can pick up very quickly, so if the wind reaches a critical speed, the wind vane will detect this and the awnings will automatically retract.

Mr. Bauer puts 300, 000 miles on the clock every year, flying to his different offices. Having built his beautiful home, he wishes to make sure he enjoys the time he spends there and the high-tech design features of this very special house will help him do exactly that.

Tropical Living: August 2002, Volume 2 Issue 4

Many of the properties on this site are for sale or for rent.
If you wish to know more about them don't hesitate to CONTACT US HERE