Athita Pool Villa and Spa was named a Jury Winner in the Architecture +Brick category at the Architizer A+Awards 2026, the programme’s 14th annual edition. Designed by Studio Miti, the project is listed by Architizer among its 2026 winners in Details > Architecture +Brick. View the official winners listing.
This recognition reflects a profession turning toward craft, place and human-scaled architecture rather than spectacle for its own sake — values Athita Pool Villa and Spa has held from the beginning.
The story behind the design
Nestled on the banks of the Mekong River, Chiang Saen is a community shaped by centuries of enduring history. This heritage forms the foundation of Athita Pool Villa and Spa, an extended phase of Athita The Hidden Court, where design moves beyond aesthetics to become a respectful dialogue with its environment. Its core philosophy is calm and serenity: a quiet retreat amid the vibrant rhythms of an ancient city.
Circulation inspired by Chiang Saen's alleys
The architects drew on the organic, meandering alleys characteristic of Chiang Saen’s historic community, bringing the language of those winding paths into the hotel’s internal corridors. The result is a sense of discovery at every turn, as movement through the hotel unfolds gradually rather than all at once.
A façade reinterpreting the vernacular
Chiang Saen’s context is defined by modest two-storey wooden houses. Athita’s exterior skin is a considered reinterpretation of traditional elements: vertical wooden louvre panels, a familiar sight on local homes, are adapted to form private enclosures for the hotel. Their proportion and rhythm allow the architecture to sit alongside neighbouring houses with warmth and restraint.
Brick as the language of the public realm
The distinct brickwork of religious architecture, symbolic of community centres, is reinterpreted as the façade for Athita’s public areas. The main brick building is placed at the front, acting as a thoughtful buffer that protects the secluded pool villas from external disturbance. Public amenities such as the spa and massage areas are positioned on the upper levels within solid brick walls, while the villas are semi-enclosed so guests can remain connected to the sky and the silence of Chiang Saen.
Both the wooden and brick elements are developed through new construction techniques that evoke the past without simply copying it. This creates an aesthetic that is contemporary yet deeply rooted, while keeping the peaceful atmosphere central to Athita’s design.
About the Architizer A+Awards 2026
Presented by Architizer, the global architecture platform based in New York City, the Architizer A+Awards is described in the submitted project text as a large and international architecture awards programme. In its 14th edition, the programme covered more than 100 categories, ranging from major urban-scale architecture to specialised material categories such as Architecture +Brick. The Jury Winner is selected by an international panel of expert judges, while the Popular Choice award is determined by public vote.
For a nine-room boutique hotel in Chiang Saen, receiving this recognition places a small hospitality project from northern Thailand within a global conversation about material, place and the quality of lived experience. The official winner record credits Studio Miti as the design firm and confirms Athita Pool Villa and Spa as the Architecture +Brick Jury Winner. Read the official project listing.
Awards and recognition at Athita
- Architizer A+Awards 2026 — Jury Winner, Architecture +Brick (Details)
- German Design Award 2026 — Winner, Excellent Architecture (Architecture – Public)
- Golden Pin Design Award (Taiwan) — a leading design award in Asia
- TIDA Awards 2025 — Thailand Interior Design Awards, Best of Small Hotel Design
- ASA Gold Medal — Gold Medal from the Association of Siamese Architects
- LIV Hospitality Design Awards 2022 — Winner, Architectural Design Hotel – Boutique
- MICHELIN Guide Selection — selected by the MICHELIN Guide
- Tablet Hotels — selected into the global boutique hotel collection
- Secret Retreats — member of Asia’s curated boutique retreat network
Discover Athita at a slower pace
The architectural story becomes part of a stay. Guests are invited to experience the layered transitions of brick, timber, light and landscape, then explore the town, its temples and the Mekong at an unhurried pace. Explore our rooms and villas, discover wellness at Athita, or read about another design recognition in ASA Architectural Design Awards 2022.
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