History of Architecture 3 Report by: Terce, Marcalas DLS-College of St. Benilde School of Architecture 3rd Term S.Y. 2015-16 June 2016

1. THA LAND
ARCH ECTURE
By Denise Jencel Marcalas

2. GEOGRAPHY

3. Total land boundary =
4,863 km
• formerly known as
SIAM (dark or brown)
• now Thailand (Land
of the free)
• about the size of
France
• occupies the western
half of the
Indochinese
peninsula and the
northern two-thirds of
the Malay Peninsula
in southeast Asia

5. RELIGIONS

6. • Buddhism
– Buddhism first appeared in
Thailand during the 3rd
century B.C. in the area of
the present day provincial
capital Nakhon Pathom.
– Buddhist temples in
Thailand are characterized
by tall golden stupas

7. • Islam
– said to have been introduced
to the Malay Peninsula by
Arab traders and adventures
during the 13th century
– Muslims comprise Thailand's
largest religious minority and
are concentrated mainly in the
southernmost provinces of
Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and
Satun
– Most Muslims are Malay
descent.

8. • Christianity
– Christianity was introduced to
Thailand by European
missionaries in the 16th and 17th
centuries.
– Introduced Thailand's first printing
press, and King Mongkut (Rama
IV) learned English and Latin
from Christians missionaries.
– introduced surgery, smallpox
vaccinations, trained the first
doctors in Western medicine, and
wrote the first Thai-English
dictionaries.

9. • Sikhism
– Ladha Singh, first Sikh who
arrived in 1890
– the Sikhs operate a free
school for poor children,
regardless of caste, creed,
or religion, and through
several charitable
associations they support
the aged and the sick.

10. MATERIALS

11. • Sandstone - door parts, lintels and rectangular
windows
• brick - replaced sandstone as the favoured mortar,
bounded with vegetable glue and then sheathed in
carved stone
• stucco - sand, lime and glue mixture strengthened
by terracotta armature, later used to cover brick
walls
• wood - employed in temple construction
• porcelain - used for some ornamental decorations
• glass mosaic pieces - to highlight gables and pillars
• lacquer, gilt, inlaid mother of pearl, gold leaf - to
obtain gleaming elegance

12. HISTORICAL
AND POLITICAL
INFLUENCES
The Dvaravati Period
The Khmer-Lopbur Period
The Thai Period
The Bangkok Style

13. • 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
superstructures.
The Dvaravati Period
(6th - 10th centries)
ruins of Wat Phra Men in
Nakhon Pathom

14. Wat Kukut, Lampun
- Represents the last phase of Dvaravati style
- From a high square platform, with 23m sides, rises a slender brick pyramid of
five diminishing storeys of 28m.
- Each face of each storey are three terracotta Buddha images, making sixty in
all
- has a viharn, an ubosot, a sala and two ancient chedis

15. • 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
bonded with vegetable glue
The Khmer-Lopburi Period
(10th - 13th centries)
A good comparison of the small Thai bricks with
the large Khmer stones

16. 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

17. The Thai Period
(13th - 16th centries)
Sukhothai
- Harmoniously eclectic,
employing Indian, Mon-
Dravidian, Mon- Pagan,
Sinhalese and Khmer
motifs
- Wat erected on a
terrace that had central
sanctuary which
sheltered a colossal
Buddha statue screened
by high wall
- Unlike the minaret,
there was a tapering
tower
Ayutthaya
- Stupa was generally
circular in plan, ring
based and bell
shaped, as in Sri
Lanka
Northern
Chiengmai
- Less conspicuous
- The custom of copying
from abroad reminds
them of the need for
religious observance
(Wat Jet Yot)
Sculptures and mural paintings are important.

18. Sukhothai 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
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
Si Satchanalai
Kamphaeng Phet

19. 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

20. 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 150 years of its existence
Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol

21. • 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
Ayutthaya Period (1351 – 1767)
Wat Chaiwatthanaram

22. 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
Ayutthaya Period (1351 – 1767)

23. • “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)
Wat Inthrawat Temple

24. • Stupas were later built
from mid 14th century
onwards since the
entrance of Lankawong
Buddhism sect.
Chiangmai/Lan Na Period
(1292 - 1775)
Stupa in Lanna Style, Chiang
Mai, Thailand

25. 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

26. • came into being when King Rama I
ascended the throne in 1782
• construction during the reign of King
Rama III had either one of the two
distinctive characteristics (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 centries)
Roof and gable of the main viharn of Wat
Phra Singh in Chiang Mai

27. • 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
Rattanakosin/ The Bangkok Style
(late 18th - 19th centries)
Chakri Maha Prasat or Grand Palace
• Shop house appeared
as part of an urban
grain although Thai by-
laws did not prescribe
public verandas (five
footways)

28. • 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
Rattanakosin/ The Bangkok Style
(late 18th - 19th centries)

29. Throne Room of the Royal Grand Palace, Bangkok
- Two main roofs intersect at right angles, in cruciform plan, with spire rising at
the intersection

30. Wat Phra Kaew
- elongated columns and surrounded by
prachedi

31. 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

32. TRADITIONAL
THAI HOUSES

33. • 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

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. 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

37. 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.

39. 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 House)

40. 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
2. Emerald Budha
3. Main Stupa
4. Phra Mondop
5. Royal Pantheon
6. Gallery
7. Scripture Hall
8. Angkor Wat
Model
9. Viharn
10.Ho Phra Nak
11.Stupa
12.Prang

41. 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

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. 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.

47. RELIGIOUS
BUILDINGS

48. • 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

49. ● 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

50. Parts of a Thai Wat

51. 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

52. a. Ubosot or Bot (Ordination Hall)
Wat Benchamabophit
Luk Nimit
- large consecrated
spheres buried under a
temple's boundary stone
during the consecration of
ubosot
- where monks perform ceremonies,
meditate and sermonize
- faces east and houses the main
Buddha image
Luk Nimit at Wat Phukhao
Thong

53. 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

54. Ku
- 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.
Singha
- guardian lion at the entrance of the
viharn
- comes in pair
- in Chiangmai, they are often made
in Burmese style

55. 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

56. 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.

57. 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
- 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 the
Pan LomCho Fa of Wat Phan Tao, Chiang Mai
Pan Lom, at Wat Muen Lan, Chiang Mai

58. 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.

59. 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.

60. 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

61. Types:
1. Bell – shaped style Chedi
Wat Suthat Thepwararam

62. 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.

63. 3. Indented Chedi
- Small dome balanced on a 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
5. Suwanna Stepped Chedi
- Square stepped base, with 5 tiers
above, each of the four faces
containing 3 Buddha images

64. 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

65. 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

66. 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:
1. HO RAKANG (Bell tower)
2. SALA KAN PRIAN (Preaching or
Sermon hall)

67. 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.

68. Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew
Made of 1 million glass recycled bottles. Mixture of green
Heineken and brown local Chang beer collected since
1984.

71. references
• Architecture of Thailand. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2016,
from http://america.pink/architecture-thailand_449513.html
• http://www.hellosiam.com/html/thailand/thailand-religion.
htm
• http://www.naturethai.net/Thailand-Architecture/Thai-
Houses.html
• http://www.slideshare.net/pinedajoyceann/architecture-in-
thailand-1st-part
• http://www.asiaexplorers.com/thailand/northern-thai-
temple-architecture.htm
• Fletcher, B., & Palmes, J. C. (1975). Sir Banister
Fletcher's A history of architecture. London: Athlone Press.