PTT Station Hat Yai, Songkhla, is located on Airport – Lopburi Ramesuan Road, near Hat Yai International Airport. Architectural principles of Songkhla Old Town was applied and developed into the design of exterior walls, as well as other elements within the project. Those who passing by the airport can experience the Songkhla Old Town vibe through the architecture inside the station.

Songkhla is a destination for business and leisure travelers. Hat Yai International Airport is a hub for connecting from neighboring countries and from all regions in the country. Songkhla is now the main destination for tourists who want to experience the charm of Songkhla Old Town, which consists of Thai, Chinese and Muslim communities. The architectural style, art and culture of these communities has created a unique mixed identity of Songkhla and reflected prominently through the building characteristics, especially the architecture in the old town. Most of them are buildings that are mainly influenced by Chinese architecture.

The Songkhla Walking Street is a tourist attraction of the old town that appears to be traditional Chinese row houses with a distinctive Chinese-shaped roof: a curved gable roof and a wall pierced into an air vent or a small window between the awning roofs on the entrance to the main roof of the house. If you look from Songkhla Lake into the Old Town, Songkhla skyline is an outline of Chinese roofscapes pleasantly blending with the landscape. The outline of a Chinese style roof has been used for the design approach for the façade of auxiliary and business services buildings to ensure that each part of a building relate harmoniously to every other part.

PTT Station Hat Yai has divided into 3 different complexes as follows;

– Front complex is a building for an auxiliary and business services. It is adjacent to the Airport-Lopburi Ramesaun road. The building is connected to an L-shaped office building and continues all the way to the restroom building in the central area of the property.

– Center complex consists of auxiliary and business services buildings. The buildings are situated between restroom facilities that are located at the center and the back of the perperty. In the middle of the complex, a vacant space for retails designed as a Kiosk-like building is located.

– Back complex are Café Amazon and Food Center.

Frontal Complex

Because this complex is adjacent to the Airport-Lopburi Ramesaun Road, it is designed with distinctive features of Songkhla architecture style. Board and batten roof sidings replicated from a traditional Chinese house, have been placed on the façade of the building so that it can be clearly seen from the road. Songkhla sign with a unique design character has been installed on the façade to get recognized by local people. This complex is designated for a convenience store where customers are more likely to visit. Seating and photo check in spot for a sing with the word “Songkhla” on the façade, have been designed as part of the landscape. The auxiliary and business service building is decorated with Chinese style board and batten siding of different sized. These sidings are placed alternately to create a dimension of Songkhla skyline.

Center Complex

The layout of building is arranged according to the shape of the land. In front of this complex, there is a group of buildings connected to foam an L-shaped layout and linked with the back complex. The Center Complex consists of two auxiliary and business service buildings, a restroom facility and a vacant space for retails. The design of the retail building has been inspired by noodle and dessert vendors on the street in Songkhla City to conjure up the sense of atmosphere of the Songkhla Old Town. There is a covered walkway connecting each building complexes. The walkway roof uses framing structure to allow climbing plants to grow and forming a shade for the west side of the buildings. Seating is provided around three pots for customers to rest and as a photo check in spot for the Kiosk-like building.

Back complex

This complex consists of a Café Amazon, a restroom facility and a food center. Café Amazon is located between a restroom facility and food center, further away from the front of the property. Creating a distinctive feature that is noticeable from the front of the station is its design challenge. A big pavilion with a distinctive design of Chinses style slat façade with gable shaped roof frame, has been installed in front of Café Amazon to make it clearly visible from the distance. Café Amazon sign and logo have been installed on the pedimented structure of the pavilion to create an entrance gate with a covered walkway between the pavilion and the main entrance of the café.

The space between the pavilion and Café Amazon is designed for a small semi-outdoor court with coffee tables and seating. It is surrounded by a garden and pond to create a clam and relaxing atmosphere. Unpaved brick wall has been used to conceal a restroom facility from the customers sitting in the outside tables. The wall reflect the local building material of terracotta bricks made in Koh Yo (Yo Island) and structural applications such as flooring, roofing and walls in the Songkhla Old Town.

A circular opening in a center court wall, a traditional architectural element of a Chinese house, has been used in design features of walls around the semi-outdoor court at Café Amazon. These openings create a view to the garden inside the court from the connecting corridor of the buildings in front of the property. A sign with word “Songkhla” has been installed on unpaved brick wall in front of the pavilion, making it another spot for people to take pictures and check-in location.

The landscape as a whole using native trees and shrubs in the front of the property. Large trees are planted on the west side to help keep the hottest sun off the buildings. Chinese porcelain pots and resting benches have been arranged at the corridor between the buildings. Decorative lamps are designed to blend in with the Chinses style slat façade with gable shaped roof frame, and are installed in front of the façade and the corridor. A large lamp has been placed for a photo check-in spot.