Architect U Myo Tun inspects the grounds at the site of his latest creation, an arched-roof tea shop built carefully around a mango tree, on June 6. Myanmar architects are finding greater acceptance for their creations as clients show more appreciation for modern and international designs, U Myo Tun says. Pic: Aung Tun Win

ARCHITECTS in Myanmar are gaining greater freedom to implement their designs as clients impose fewer conditions and show more appreciation for draughtsmen’s expertise, one Yangon architect said last week.

U Myo Tun, who owns the Md Architect Company, said about 70 percent of an architect’s plan was now being accepted outright by clients – many of whom were showing more awareness of international trends and a desire for something new.

“In the past, to implement all the creative features was difficult for an architect to achieve in Myanmar. We had to discuss every little point with our clients and design to their needs and their likes,” U Myo Tun said, lamenting the degree of negotiation involved.

“If they didn’t accept a design we proposed, we couldn’t build it. If they had limited design skills themselves or limited funds, we still had to follow their demands.

“These days, many clients have a wider vision and more international experience – they let architects design as they like,” he said.

A result of this unleashing of creative freedom is the construction of more adventurous buildings. An emphasis on low-maintenance properties and environmentally friendly structures were themes common to the work of many architects today, U Myo Tun said.

Tempering some creativity, of course, are budget constraints, though Myanmar have flair for making do on a shoestring and U Myo Tun is no exception.

His most recent project – a café in Yankin township – showcases what can be achieved when architects put some art into their craft.

“In this building, 70pc of my ideas are being implemented,” U Myo Tun said at the construction site on Moe Kaung Road, where work began four months ago and is scheduled for completion by the end of June.

“The client’s aim was to open a café. He wanted it to be different from all the others so I had to take some time to think about it and draw a new design,” he said.

The end result is a distinctive building with an arching roof, wide car parking, wheelchair access and spiralling stairs – all the while emphasising a low-cost design.

“A curved roof can reduce the numbers of walls. It has only one wall,” said U Myo Tun.

“When people enter a room with a curved roof, they can feel its warmth. There’s a difference between entering a square building and curved building. The latter can give you a strange and new feeling.

“Plus, curved roofs are stronger than normal (peaked) roofs so they can better withstand storms and earthquakes,” he added.

U Myo Tun said a curved roof also absorbs more heat from outside so it was important to incorporate plenty of windows for ventilation and build the roof higher than usual.

The building’s roof is 24 feet at its highest point. It includes two enclosed floors and an outside seated area on the third level.

But finding the right materials and technical expertise required to construct the arched roof was difficult, U Myo Tun said.

“We couldn’t get ready-made materials. We had to make them ourselves from the very start,” he said, citing the curved steel frames as examples.

“We had to bend the steel manually. It takes times and we couldn’t get it as neat and exact as a machine would.”

U Myo Tun said his intention was not only to create a landmark property in the neighbourhood but also set an example of environmentally friendly construction.

The building takes up a quarter of the 93-by-200-foot plot and care was taken not to cut down trees unnecessarily.

“Construction of the building was going to involve chopping down a mango tree but the client really didn’t want to cut it down, so I designed the building around it.

“People are becoming more aware that it’s easy to cut a tree down but it takes many years for a tree to grow,” he reflected.

“People aren’t so quick to cut down trees now.
“This is more apparent in beach areas like Chaung Tha or Ngwe Saung; hotels are avoiding cutting down the coconut trees,” he said.