The project was initiated by Chabad of Thailand in collaboration with designer Ariel Rabi.

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The design for the Chabad House in Koh Phangan grew from a desire to create a complex that transcends the conventional image of a Chabad House. Rather than an inward-looking institutional building, the vision was for a tropical resort—open, green, and welcoming—integrated into the island’s unique character, tropical climate, rich vegetation, and relaxed, informal atmosphere. Instead of a large, monumental public building, the project adopts a tropical resort concept: low-rise construction composed of several wings immersed in a lush, shaded garden.

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The program includes a large synagogue, an event hall and dining room, separate meat and dairy restaurants, a kosher products store, men’s and women’s mikvaot—with the women’s mikveh designed as a spa experience—communal gathering and activity areas, guest rooms, the emissaries’ residences, and service and operational facilities. A central requirement was the ability to accommodate and serve approximately 2,000 guests when needed, particularly for Shabbat and holiday meals, without turning the complex into a massive institutional structure.

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The wings are arranged along the site like a small village set within a garden. Tropical vegetation surrounds the buildings and flows between them, while the entrance axis is emphasized by a continuous water feature that guides visitors inward and connects the different parts of the complex. The garden includes informal seating areas—“zulas”—as well as hammocks, waterfalls, and small water pools.

The architectural language is intended to be contemporary yet relaxed and informal. Large glazed surfaces blur the boundary between interior and exterior, bringing the garden into the buildings. Wood adds warmth and a tropical character, while light architectural plaster creates a clean, quiet backdrop for the vegetation. The combination of materials, shaded balconies, water, and greenery is intended to evoke the feeling of a vacation destination rather than a public institution.

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The restaurant and retail area is positioned at the front of the site, creating an active and inviting focal point from which visitors continue toward the communal functions deeper within the complex.

The desired result is a unique Chabad House that grows out of Koh Phangan rather than simply being placed within it—a contemporary, low-rise, green complex that embraces the spirit of the island and gives it Jewish, communal, and hospitable meaning.