ARCHITECTS | INTERIOR DESIGNERS
S+A is one of Southeast Asia's most established architecture and interior design practices, spearheaded by its 3rd generation of principals today.
Most design firms describe themselves as passionate, collaborative, and detail oriented. We prefer to let six decades of completed work speak instead. S+A has designed a royal residence, supervised the construction of an international airport, built the national Thai Mint, laid out masterplans and shaped the interiors of resorts on island archipelagos, and currently has projects under development from Bangkok to Manila, Maldives and Fiji. S+A has worked as far as Hawaii, Mauritius and Europe.
That breadth is not accidental; it is the result of a consistent approach to a practice that has remained constant across generations of leadership.
What distinguishes S+A is not any single project or style, but the way the firm is structured and operates: architecture and interior design under one roof, directed by two principals who are experts in their fields and are present on every commission. Clients do not brief a partner only to work with a junior team. They work with Faun and Sophie, and with a 30+ members studio that has internalized the standards, timelines, and operational realities of the world's leading hospitality operators.
S+A emphasizes long-term continuity in both its projects and its practice, cultivating and retaining local and international talents, some of whom have remained with the company for 30 years. Similarly with its clients, S+A nurtures strong partnerships, and many of them use S+A design services repeatedly over the years.
Based in Bangkok, S+A operates across the region. Our home gives us genuine proximity to the markets where the majority of our clients build — Thailand, Southeast Asia, and the wider Asia-Pacific. Having also completed projects in Europe, the Indian Ocean and Africa, we are equally comfortable navigating international briefs, global brand requirements, and cross-cultural design contexts.
SINCE 1963
S+A is humbly the oldest architectural firm in Thailand still in operation. The company was established in 1963 by prominent architect and academic M.L. Santhaya Israsena, who gave the company his name and his long-term vision. He led the company until his passing in 1984, quietly and diligently designing some of the first modernist buildings in Thailand. M.L. Santhaya was also chairman of the Association of Siamese Architects, chairman of the National Housing Authority and professor at Chulalongkorn University, where he received an honorary doctorate in 1976.
He was succeeded by associate architect Suchet Chaorua. From 1984 until 2005, Suchet vastly expanded S+A and produced some of the most iconic buildings in Bangkok, establishing S+A as a design leader in Thailand.
Like his grandfather, Faun Israsena is an architect. He took over the management in 2007 and was later joined by his partner Sophie Bughin in 2013. With their international backgrounds, Faun & Sophie strengthen S+A’s portfolio with focus on international clients and hospitality projects, rapidly expanding oversea.
A BRIEF HISTORY
1963: Founded in Bangkok
The practice is established, taking on civic, institutional, and infrastructure commissions for the Thai government and major public bodies.
1970s–90s: Nation-building era
S+A contributes to landmark projects including the Dusit Thani Hotel, Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Royal Thai Mint, the Bank of Thailand Banknote Printing Plant, and HM Royal Residence Taksin Rajanives.
2000s: Suvarnabhumi Airport completed
S+A provides construction supervision for the 550,000 sqm Bangkok international airport, one of the largest infrastructure projects in Thai history.
2010s: Hospitality becomes the core focus
Led by Faun and Sophie, the firm deepens its hospitality practice in Thailand and across Asia Pacific, completing projects for many international hotel operators/brands.
2020s: Expanding reach, deepening relationships
S+A completes Tribe Phnom Penh with Ennismore, refurbishes 2 Outrigger resorts in Fiji, signs its first Philippines commission (Ascott Manila), and is appointed to deliver Mama Shelter Bangkok, set to be the largest Mama Shelter in the world.
DESIGN THAT INSPIRES
We design hotels, resorts, and branded residences from the ground up, managing architecture and interior design as a unified scope.
Occasionally, S+A architects also take on other challenges, designing school campuses, offices, wellness facilities and even a church or a refugee center.
With over 60+ completed hospitality projects, S+A brings operator-fluent design thinking to every brief: we understand how the hotels and brands operate. We design to make that operation work seamlessly and produce compelling and high performing hotels and resorts, many of which have received critical acclaim and international awards.
For each project, S+A crafts a design that is deeply rooted in its location, globally sophisticated, brand-aligned, and unmistakably distinctive.
Our hospitality work spans urban lifestyle hotels in capital cities, remote island resorts, beach and mountain retreats, full resort masterplans and high-rise hotel towers across Asia Pacific and beyond.
TAILORED APPROACH
Every S+A project begins with a single question: what makes this place, this client, and this guest experience genuinely distinct? We resist the temptation of formula or the pursuit of any style.
Our designs are shaped by local history, traditions, crafts, and the specific ambitions of each developer and brand, then refined to the standards expected by today's global traveler. With this philosophy, S+A's designs are always unique, always different.
Our work touches many people’s lives, from owners to consultants, operators, builders, and those who live and work in and around our buildings and interiors. We take pride in this, but we also acknowledge great responsibility, and strive to create designs that inspire them, and ultimately improve the society and environment in which we operate.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Permanence over trend
We design for the long term. Our buildings and interiors are conceived to remain relevant, durable, and admired, not to chase the aesthetic of the moment. Equally, S+A fosters and retains great professional talents who remain with the firm for their entire careers.
Context as the brief
Every site has a story, a landscape, a cultural heritage, a history of craft. We read that context and formulate a concept story before we draw a single line and let it shape every decision that follows.
Principals on every project
Clients hire S+A because of Faun and Sophie. Both remain creatively and professionally responsible for every commission, not just at the pitch, but through to completion.
Integration as discipline
Architecture and interior design are not separate exercises. We treat them as a single creative act and our clients benefit from the coherence that comes from that unity.
Over the years, leading local and international organizations have entrusted S+A to carry out their projects to successful completions, many of whom having done so repeatedly.
HOSPITALITY
137 Pillars Hotels & Residences
Accor
Amari
Ascott
Booking.com
Celavi (Kudeta)
Centara Hotels & Resorts
Davinia Resort
Dusit Hotels & Resorts
Ennismore
Grand Mercure
Hard Rock Cafe
Hilton
HMD Asia
Ibis Styles
Jamie Oliver
Kafnu
M Gallery
Mama Shelter
Mamaka
Mercure
Movenpick
Next Story Group
Novotel
Onyx Hospitality
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
Ovolo Hotels
Pullman
Raffles
Riva Surya
Saii (S Hotels & Resorts)
SC Capital Partners
Silverneedle Hospitality
Singha Estate
Sofitel
SWUTEL
Travel & Leisure
Tribe
Wyndham
OTHERS
AoT (Airports of Thailand)
Bank of Thailand
Booking.com
British Council
Crown Property Bureau
Chulalongkorn Hospital
ICS (International Community School)
ILO (International Labor Organization)
KU (Kasethsart University)
Ministry of Finance
MOPH (Ministry of Public Health)
National Housing Authority
National Blood Service Centre
NIDA University
NRRU University
Thai Red Cross Society
SWU (Srinakarin University)
Thai Airways
United Nations
UNHCR
UNICEF
WIS (Wesley International School)