HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3

THAILAND ARCHITECTURE
PREPARED BY: SCOTT SERRANO
Geography
Total land boundary: 4,863km

- Formerly known as SIAM

(dark or brown)
- Now Thailand (Land of free)
- Size is likely to be same with
France
- Occupies the western half of
Indochinese peninsula and
the northern two-thirds of
Malay Peninsula in southeast
Asia.
Geographical
- 513, 115km THAILAND
National Language
- Thai

Normal Temperature
27°C

Weather
Moon soon Tropical

Capital Thailand is at the heart of southeast Asia and the center of

Bangkok regional business. Transport is also a door to enter the
countries comprising the Southeast Asian Association
(ASEAN) which have a total market of 570 million people.
 Religion
Buddhism Islam
- First appeared in Thailand during - Said to have been introduced to the
the 3rd century b.c. in the area of Malay Peninsula by Arab traders th
and
present day provincial capitol century adventures during the 13
Nakhon Pathom.
- Muslims comprise Thailand’s largest
- Buddhist temples in Thailand are religious minority and are
characterized by tall golden concentrated mainly in the
compass. southernmost provinces of
Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and Satun
- Most Muslims are Malay descent
 Religion
Christianity Sikhism
- Christianity was introduced to - Ladha Singh, First Sikh who arrived
Thailand by European missionaries
in the 16th and 17th centuries. in 1890
- Introduced Thailand’s first printing - The Sikhs operate a free school for
press, and king Mongkut (Rama IV) poor children, regardless of caste,
learned English and Latin from
Christians missionaries. creed, or religion, and through
- Introduced surgery, smallpox several charitable associations they
vaccinations, trained the first support the aged and the sick.
doctors in western medicine, and
wrote the first That-English
dictionaries.
 Materials
Sandstone Stucco
- Door parts, - sand, lime and
Lintels, and glue mixture
Rectangular strengthened by
windows. terracotta
Brick armature, later
- Replaced used to cover
sandstone as brick walls
the favoured Wood
mortar, bounded - Employed in
with vegetable temple
glue and then construction.
sheathed in
carved stone.
Materials
Porcelain
- Used for
some
ornamental
decorations.

Lacquer, gilt,
Glass mosaic inlaid mother
pieces of pearl, gold
- To highlight leaf
gables and - To obtain
pillars. gleaming
elegance.
HISTORICAL
AND
POLITICAL
INFLUENCE
The Dvaravati Period
The Khmer-Lopburi Period
The Thai Period
The Bangkok Style
 The Dvaravati Period
(6th – 10th centuries)
- Characterized by Burmese Buddhist
forms (eg. Lamphun, Haripunjaya)
- Only fragments of foundations of
buildings at Nakhon Pathom (later
Lopburi) the earliest known capital was
found.
- Plinths was made of bricks and stones
with mouldings similar to those Buddhist
structures from Sri Lanka to north India,
which had granite bases with holes for
pillars that supported timber Ruins of Wat Phra Men in Nakhon Pathom
superstructures.
 Wat Kukut,
Lamphun

- Represents the last phase of Dvaravati styles.

- From a high square platform, with 23m sides,
rises a slender brick pyramid of five diminishing
storeys of 28m.
- Each face of storey are three Terracotta Buddha
images, making sixty in all.
- Has a viharn, an ubosot, a sala and two ancient
chedis.
 The Khmer – Lopburi Period
(10th – 13th centuries)
• Central and eastern Thailand
• Provincial manifestation of the
Khmer-Angkor style
• Also mirrored building
traditions of the Mons and
Talaings of southern Burma
• Khmers introduced the use of
stone, instead of the
traditional brick or rubble
The 12th-century temple of Angkor Wat is the
bonded with vegetable glue masterpiece of Angkorian architecture.
Wat Mahadhatu Temple, Lopburi
- C. 12th century
- Building of Khmer-Angkor type
- Stands in a walled court and comprises a sanctuary tower (sikhara) and
- attached portico (mandapa) raised on a high moulded plinth
- Heavy arched tympana above the openings, recalling Angkor
 The Thai Period
(13th – 16th Centuries)
Sukhothai Ayutthaya Northern
- Harmoniously eclectic, - Stupa was generally Chiengmai
employing Indian, Mon- circular in plan, ring based - Less conspicuous
Dravidian, Mon- Pagan, and bell shaped, as in Sri - The custom of copying
Sinhalese and Khmer Lanka from abroad reminds them
motifs of the need for religious
- Wat erected on a terrace observance (Wat Jet Yot)
that had central sanctuary
which sheltered a colossal
Buddha statue screened by
high wall
- Unlike the minaret,
there was a tapering
tower
Sculptures and mural paintings are important.
 Sukothai Period
(1238 – 1438)
- foundation of Thai civilization, the
place where its institutions and
culture first developed
- Pho Khun Sri Indraditya became
the first King of Sukhothai
- governed in the style of "the Si Satchanalai
Father of the Town," or paternal
kingship
- The identity is decorations in order
to display the Buddhist faith by
building the buildings in symbolic
shapes
Kamphaeng Phet
Wat Si Cham

- Temple of the Bodhi Tree

- largest, most puzzling
and historically important
temple of Sukhothai
period
- famous for the enormous
stucco Buddha (Phra
Achana) that measures
over 11 m in width
 Ayutthaya Period
(1351 – 1767)
- founded by King Ramathibodi
I in the lower Chao Phraya
River
- one of the largest and most
prosperous empires of its time
- society of builders rather than
sculptors
- It erected a major portion of its
400 wats in Ramathibodi’s
reign and completed most of its
major monuments in the first
Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol
150 years of its existence
 Ayutthaya Period
(1351 – 1767)
- designed to display might and
riches so it has great size and
appearance
- The temples seldom built eaves
stretching from the masterhead
- The dominant feature of this style is
sunlight shining into buildings
- architecture during this period was
regarded as a peak achievement that
responded to the requirements of
people and expressed the
gracefulness of Thainess
Wat Chaiwatthanaram
 Ayutthaya Period
(1351 – 1767)
three palaces for its rulers: Wang Luan
(Royal Palace) - occupied by the principal
king, situated on the northern rim of the city.

Wang Na (Chandra Kasem Palace/Front

Palace) - built for the second or Vice- King,
situated on the northeastern corner of the city

Wang Lang (Rear Palace) - occupied by

princes of the royal blood, situated on the
western part of the city
 Chiangmai/Lan Na Period
(1292 – 1775)
- “Land of million rice fields”
- Founded by King Phya
Mangrai
- emphasizes on the enormous
size of the shrines and
relatively small sermon or
temple’s hall
 Chiangmai/Lan Na Period
(1292 – 1775)

- Stupas were later built from mid

14th century onwards since the
entrance of Lankawong Buddhism
sect.

Stupa in Lanna Style,

Chiang Mai, Thailand
 Chiangmai/Lan Na Period
(1292 – 1775)
- C. 1455
- Built to record the 2000th
anniversary of Buddha's death,
smaller version of Maha Bodi
Temple (relic house) in Bodh
Gaya, India but with added stucco
reliefs of celestial beings paying
homage
 Rattanakosin/The Bangkok Style
(Late 18th – 19th centuries)
- came into being when King Roof and
Rama I ascended the throne in gable of the
1782 main viharn
- construction during the reign of of Wat Phra
King Rama III had either one of Singh in
the two distinctive characteristics Chiang Mai
(in or out).
- in - one with traditional gable
ends decorating the roof
- out - gable ends of the roof were
plainly constructed with bricks
and stucco
 Rattanakosin/The Bangkok Style
(Late 18th – 19th centuries)
- Bangkok consisted of two
encircling moats and walls
- Guards the entrance of the Chao
Phya River which flows into
hinterland
- King Rama V patronized the
European architecture and town
planning
- Shop house appeared as part of
an urban grain although Thai by-
laws did not prescribe public
verandas (five footways) Chakri Maha Prasat or Grand Palace
 Rattanakosin/The Bangkok Style
(Late 18th – 19th centuries)
- Traditional forms were overlaid with ornamentation of Chinese
character
- Surfaces were finished with porcelain tiles
- Walls are white stuccoed bricks that contrasts with brightly
coloured glazed tiles of multi levelled overlapping timber roofs
- Gables and bargeboards are decorated with Angkor Hindu
iconography: 'nagas', Vishnu on a garuda (mythical bird), shiva on
a bull and so on
- Door and window shutters are of carved wood lacquered in black
and gold or painted inlaid with mother of pearl depicting themes
of guardian divinities, enchanted forests, ferns, flowers and still
life
Throne Room of the Royal Grand Palace, Bangkok
- Two main roofs intersect at right angles, in cruciform plan, with spire
rising at the intersection
Wat Phra Kaew
- elongated columns and surrounded
by prachedi
Government House, Bangkok
- C. 1910 originally built by King
Rama VI as residence for
favoured aide
- Presents a relatively ecleticism by
Italian architect Annebale Rigotti
and incorporates elaborate stone
window tracery

Nation Building, Bangkok

- c. 1990
- to advertise the client's
involvement in modern
communications
- houses were raised due to
heavy flooding/ predators
- storage and shelter for animals
- made from a variety of wood
(bamboo) and prefab panels
(thatched) that are easy to
rearrange
- usually built as a cluster of
physically separate rooms
arranged around a large central
terrace
 Central Plains Houses
- found in lowlands
- Elevated on stout round posts, it has steep roofs with curved
bargeboards and paneled walls leaning slightly inward
- The simplest house consists of a single unit with an outside
veranda, while those accommodating larger families might have
several separate units arranged around a central platform.
 Central Plains Houses
Roof Gable (Ngao)
- A distinctive feature is the elegant curved
decoration at the ends of the peaked
bargeboards surrounding the gables
- evolved from Khmer architecture and appears
in elaborate form on religious buildings and
palaces.

Gate
- prosperous families usually have a gate,
often sheltered by a Thai-style roof that
opens on to the central platform. A jar of
water is placed at the bottom of the
steps so that visitors and residents can
wash their feet before ascending.
Kamthieng House
- Built c. 1844, Chiangmai and now in Siam Society, Bangkok
- Representative of Lanna-thai houses found in Changmai, North Thailand
- Entry is marked with water jar that leads to detached buildings consisting of
the main house, kitchen, granary, spirit house and water storage
- Roofed by a pair of steeply pitched gable roofs connected by a valley gutter
Floating Houses

- Early Bangkok had many

floating shop houses, where
the family lived and trade.
The floorboards in such
structures are loosely fitted
to allow for movement as the
water rises and falls.
 Royal Houses
- Generally Closer to the ground and
had more decorative features
Tamnak Daeng - Built by King Rama I
as a residence for one of his queens,
it was originally in Ayutthaya style but
acquired more Rattanakosin elements
during several moves. King Rama V
presented the house to the museum
as a reminder of an architectural style
then becoming rare.
Tamnak Daeng (Red Horse)
 Wat Phra Kaew “Heaven and Earth”
- Built as the royal temple within the Grand Palace, same as the Ayutthaya
tradition
- has no residing Buddhist monks, but was meant as the
- spiritual center of the kingdom and the site for major royal ceremonies.
1. Ubosot 8. Angkor Wat
2. Emerald Model
3. Main Stupa 9. Viharn
4. Phra 10.Ho Phra
Mondop Nak
5. Royal 11.Stupa
Pantheon 12.Prang
6. Gallery
7. Scripture
Hall
Summer House of
King Chulalongkorn
- Vimanmek Palace (Cloud Mansion)
absorbed the Palladian ideals
- Believed to be the world’s largest
building made entirely of golden teak
- Originally constructed on Srichang
Island in the Gulf of Siam by King
Rama V ( King Chulalongkorn) but in
1901, was moved to its present site
 Sala Thai
- an open pavilion used as a
meeting place and to protect
people from sun and rain
- Most are open on all four sides
- reflects knowledge of Thai people.
It retains beauty, which is different
from architectures of other
countries, and foreigners can
acknowledge “Thai-ness” through
Sala Thai.
 Northern Houses
- The walls lean outward, giving it
a sturdier look, and windows are
often smaller.
- A notable decorative
- feature is the V-shaped designs
at the ends of the roof called
Kalae.
- Some authorities believe they
represent a pair of buffalo horns.
 Northern Rice Barns
- A rice barn is a component of
most traditional compounds in
the northern region. Raised on
pillars and with a ladder for
access, it is a solid structure
with few windows, used to
store grain.
 Traditional Thai Architectural System
served the Thai people’s needs and preferences. The needs are
established as part of Thai culture, which are its biological
requirements, available traditional technology, sociological
needs, social organization, psychology and ideology.
Comparable between sense-impression and
perception with examples of appearance

The table illustrates the main ways in which the sense-impression is

expressed in Architecture. Appreciation of Thai architecture is the way
people ‘taste’ the building through those five physical senses and form
mind contact.
 Buddhist temples - reflection of
the country's widespread
Buddhist traditions
wat is properly used to refer only
to a Buddhist site with resident
monks; typically refer to any
place of worship other than the
Islamic mosques found in
southern Thailand

Wat Pho
 - Thai wat was traditionally a school,
hospital, community center and
even an entertainment venue
- follows a similar set of design
principles and the same can
normally be said for the functions of
the various buildings within the
complex
- There is also a symbolic significance
to each and every part of the Thai
wat complex

Wat Tramit
Parts of a Thai Wat
Consist of two parts:
1. Phuttha-wat (dedicated to Buddha; temple complex)
a. Ubosot or Bot (Ordination Hall)
b. Phra rabieng
c. Viharn (teaching Hall)
d. Chedi or Stupa (Reliquary Tower)
e. Crematorium
f. Sala Kan Prian
g. Ho rakang
h. Of equal importance may be a Bhodi Tree or a Buddha Footprint
2. Sangha-wat Thai Buddhist temple (living quarters of monks)
a. Kuti c. Sala Kan Prian
b. Ho Rakang
A. Ubosot or Bot (Ordination Hall)
- where monks perform
ceremonies, meditate and
sermonize
- faces east and houses the
main Buddha image

Wat Benchamabophit
Luk Nimit (at Wat Phukao Thong)
- large consecrated spheres buried under a
temple's boundary stone during the
consecration of ubosot
 B. Phra Rabieng
- Cloister like-galleries around the
Bot/Ubosot
- Along its walls are Buddha
images and sometimes religious
furniture
Wat Suthat Thepwararam

C. Viharn (Teaching Hall)

- usually the busiest building in a
Wat and open to everyone
- Houses various Buddha images
and is used as a preaching hall
and as a place for prayer and
meditation
Viharn of Wat Suthat Thepwararam
 Singha
- guardian lion
at the
entrance of the
viharn
- comes in pair
- in Chiangmai,
they are often
made in
Ku Burmese style
- a reliquary, in the form of
a miniature chedi, to
house the principal
Buddha image and
enhance its presence,
particularly where the
image is very small.
 Nak Sadung and Makara
- form the balustrades of the
viharn
- The naga (dragon) is called
nak sadung emerging from
the mouth of makara, a water
beast with features of the
crocodile, elephant and fish.
Nak Sadung and the Makara at a
Temple in Chiang Mai
Roof
- composed of three superimposed tiers,
with the lowest tier over the porch
- each tier may comprise of two or three
sections. The lowest section spreads out
like a mother hen spreading her wings to
protect her chick Roof of a Northern Thai temple
building, as at Wat Phra Singh
 Gable
- usually highly decorated
- design is according to the ability of the
builders and the wealth of the temple

Kong Khieu
- a decorative element, or
pelmet, that forms the arch
which represents the
eyebrows of the Buddha.
Pan Lom
- bargeboard that covers the end of the
gable, preventing the roof tiles from falling
off
- the naga is often shown with scales
pointing up; these scales are called Bai
Raka

Cho Fa
Pan Lom, at Wat Muen Lan, Chiang Mai
- finial pointing upwards at the end of the roof
ridges
- "sky cluster“
- The design is a stylised garuda, or mystical
bird. The garuda is the enemy of the naga,
and in the temple design, the garuda at the
top of the gable is meant to be grabbing the
tail of the naga that flows down both sides of Cho Fa of Wat Phan Tao, Chiang Mai
the Pan Lom
Sum
- Also called sum khong, the sum is an
elaborate decorative arch over and
framing the doorway
Hu Chang
meaning "elephant ears" are the eave-
brackets along the outer wall of the
viharn
a triangular piece of wood that is often
highly ornamented
design can be in the form of intertwining
naga, called nak kieo, a naga on its
own, called nakkhatan, the monkey
king Hanuman, or the mystical bird
kinnari or other mystical beast.
D. Chedi or Stupa (Reliquary Tower)
- Domed edifice, under which relics of the Buddha or revered religious
teachers are buried.
1. The base carries the bell shaped part of the Chedi.
The upper part of the base (1a) is a multiple tier
structure that represents the Traiphum.
2. The bell shaped part (ong-rakhang) is the relic
chamber of the Chedi. It is round in most cases, but
sometimes it follows the shape of the upper part of the
base.
3. The spire base carries the spire. It can take several
shapes: usually round, but also square, octagonal or
redented octagonal.
4. The lower part of the spire consists of circular tiers
representing the heavens.
5. The upper part of the spire (plee) is lotus bud
shaped and represents Nirvana.
6. The chattra is strictly seen not a part of the Chedi. It
does however tell us something about the importance
of what is in the relic chamber.
 Hti
- a bejeweled sacred umbrella that
sits at the topmost part of the chedi
- a Burmese influence to the design

Chad
- Burmese-style sacred gilded
filigree parasol that are usually
installed at the corners of the
railings enclosing the chedi
Types:
1. Bell – Shaped style Chedi
2. Square Chedi
- Northern Thailand balances a
smaller dome on a high square base,
each side has a niche carved with
Buddha images.
- Sits on a terrace or platform, often
with an enclosed walkway for
devotees to make ritual
circumambulation.
 3. Indented Chedi 5. Suwanna
Stepped Chedi
- Small dome
balanced on a - Small dome
square base with balanced on a
indented corners square base
with indented
corners

4. Suwanna Chedi,
Prang
- Ayutthayan or Khmer style of
reliquary, found all over central
Thailand from the Khmers.
- Shaped like a corn cob standing on
top of a square or cruciform building,
with an entrance on one side
 E. Crematorium
- Recognizable because it has a tall chimney

F. Sala Kan Prian

- Open-sided pavilion or preaching
hall.
- Bangkok-style structure that is
only found occasionally in
Northern Thailand
G. Ho Rakang
- The bell is struck to call the monks to
devotions; to announce time (it is struck for
noon, after which monks are not allowed to
eat); or, to announce the stopping of work
for the day.
- In some big temples and monasteries, there
may also be a gong tower, or a combination
of bell and gong.

H. Bhodi Tree or a Buddha Footprint

 2. Sangha-wat Thai Buddhist Temple
- Contained within the wall surrounding
the temple complex.
- Living quarters of the monks

1. KUTI (Living quarters)

May also contain the following:

- HO RAKANG (Bell tower)
- SALA KAN PRIAN (Preaching or Sermon
hall)
 KUTI
- A small structure, built on stilts,
designed to house a monk
- Its proper size is defined in the
Sanghathisep, Rule 6, to be 12
by 7 keub (or 4.013 by 2.343
meters)
- a monastery consists of a number
of these buildings grouped
together on a shared terrace,
either in an inward facing cluster
or aligned in a row. Often these
structures included a separate
building, called a hor trai, used to
store scriptures.
Wat Pa Maha Chedi
Kaew

Made of 1 million glass recycled bottles.

Mixture of green Heineken and brown local
Chang beer collected since 1984.
The main elements of the temple are as 4. Phra Mondop
follows: 5. The Gallery
1. Bot/Usobot 6. Hermit’s Ground
2. The reclining Buddha
3. Main Stupas
END