Architecture of Thailand

• Architecture in Thailand

Geographical Information

• Total land boundary
• Formerly known as Siam, also known as dark/brown
• Now known as Thailand, previously named "Land of the free"
• Sized approximately to France
• Occupies half of the Indochinese Peninsula and 2/3 of Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia
• Population: 66.25 million
• Geographical area: 513,115 km²
• National language: Thai
• Temperature: 27°C
• Weather: Monsoon Tropical
• Bangkok is the capital, populated by 11 million people

Religions

• Buddhism appeared in Thailand during the 3rd century BC in the area of present-day provincial capital Nakhon Pathom
• Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas.
• Islam was introduced by Arab traders and adventurers during the 13th century
• Muslims comprise Thailand's largest religious minority.
• Most Muslims are of Malay descent.
• Christianity was introduced by European missionary in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Introduced Thailand's first printing press
• Introduced surgery, smallpox vaccinations, trained the first doctors in Western medicine, and wrote the first Thai-English dictionary.
• Sikhism operates free schools for poor children regardless of caste, creed, or religion
• Sikhism also supports the aged and the sick through several charitable associations.
• Religion percentages: Buddhist is 93.4%, Islamic is 5.2%, Christian is 0.7%, other religions make up 0.2%

Materials

• Sandstone is used for door parts, lintels, and rectangular windows
• Brick mortar is bonded with vegetable glue, sheathed in carved stone and replaced sandstone
• Wood is employed in temple construction
• Stucco is a sand, lime, and glue mixture strengthened by terracotta armature, and later used to cover brick walls
• Porcelain is used for some ornamental decorations
• Glass mosaic highlights gables and pillars
• Gold leaf adds gleam

Historical, Political

• Dvaravati Period had Burmese forms
• Plinths were made of bricks and stones with mouldings similar to those in Buddhist structures from Sri Lanka to North India
• Fragments of the foundation of buildings are only at Nakhom Pathom
• Wat Kukut Lampun represents the last phase of the Dvaravati style.
• It rises as a slender brick pyramid of five diminishing storeys, 28m high from a high square platform with 23m sides
• Each face of the storey has three terracotta Buddhas, making 60 in all
• Khmer-Lopburi Period existed in central and eastern Thailand
• Provincial manifestation of Khmer-Angkor style
• Khmers introduced the use of stone, instead of the traditional brick or rubble, bonded with vegetable glue
• Wat Mahadhatu Temple, Lopburi was erected in the C. 12th century and is a building of the Khmer Angkor
• Wat Mahadhatu Temple stands in a walled court and comprises a sanctuary tower (Sikhara).
• Attached to the portico (Mandapa) is a raised on a high moulded plinth
• Heavy arched tympana are above the openings
• The Thai Period
• Sukhothai is harmoniously eclectic, employing Indian, Mon-Dravidian, Mon-Pagan, Sinhalese and Khmer motifs
• The Sukhothai Wat erected on a terrace has a central sanctuary that sheltered a colossal Buddha statue screened by a high wall
• It differs from the minaret, having a tapering tower
• The Ayutthaya Stupa generally had a circular plan, ring-based and bell-shaped, similar to Sri Lanka
• Northern Chiengmai is less conspicuous
• The custom of copying from abroad reminds of the need for religious observance (Wat Jet Yot).
• Sculptures and mural paintings are important.

Sukhothai Period (1238-1438)

• The foundation of Thai civilization, which is 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
• Decorations display Buddhist faith by building the buildings in symbolic shapes
• Temple of Bodhi Tree is the largest, most puzzling and historically important temple of the Sukhothai Period
• It is also famous for the enormous stucco Buddha which measures over 11m in width

Ayutthaya Period (1351-1767)

• Founded by King Ramathibodi 1 in the Lower Chao Phraya Building
• The period is marked as one of the largest and most prosperous of empires
• Society of builders rather than sculptors
• Displaying might and riches, Ayutthaya architecture has great size and appearance
• The temples seldom built eaves stretching from the masterhead.
• The temples are known for “sunlight shining into buildings"
• There were three palaces for its rulers: Wang Luan (Royal Palace), Wang Na (Chandra Kasem Palace/Front Palace), Wang Lang (Rear Palace)
• The Wang Luan was occupied by principal king
• Wang Na was built by second or vice king
• Wang Lang was occupied by the princes of royal blood
• Chiangmai/ Lan Na Period was the land of a million rice fields,
• Founded by King Phya Mangrai
• This period emphasized the enormous size of the shrines and relatively small sermon or temple hall.
• Stupas were later built from mid 14th century onwards, since the entrance of the Lankawong Buddhism sect.
• C.1455 Built to record the 2000th anniversary of Buddha's death in a smaller version of Maha Bodi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India, but added stucco reliefs of celestial beings paying homage
• RATTANAKOSIN/BANGKOK STYLE
• Came into being when King Rama I ascended the throne in 1782
• Construction during the reign of the King Rama III had either one of two distinctive characteristics: traditional gable ends decorated the roof OR out-gable ends of the roof plainly constructed with bricks and stucco.
• Bangkok consisted of two existing moats and walls.
• King Rama V patronized European architecture and town planning
• Shops and houses appeared as part of urban grain, but Thai laws did not prescribe public verandas

Thai Traditional Houses

• Houses were raised due to heavy flooding and predators
• Houses provided storage and shelter for animals
• Made from a variety of wood and prefab panels that are easy to arrange
• Usually built as a cluster of physically separate rooms arranged around a large central terrace

Central Plains Houses

• Found in lowlands, features include elevation on stout round posts
• Steep roofs with curved bargeboards and panelled walls leaning slightly inward
• The simplest house consists of a single unit with an outside veranda
• The roof Gable (Ngao) is a distinctive feature consisting of the elegant curved decoration at the ends of the peaked bargeboard surround the gable
• The gables evolved from Khmer architecture and appear in elaborate form on religious buildings and palaces
• More prosperous families usually have a gate, often sheltered by a Thai-style roof, that opens on 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 was built in 1844, Chiangmai and now in Siam Society
• The house is Representative of Lanna Thai houses found in Chiangmai, North Thailand
• The entry is marked with a water jar that leads attached buildings consisting of the main house, kitchen, granary, spirit house and water storage
• Early Bangkok had many floating shop houses where the family lived and traded
• The floorboards in such structures were loosely fitted to allow for movement as water rises and falls
• Royal houses are generally closer to the ground and had more decorative features.
• Tamnak Daeng was built by King Rama I as a residence for one of his queens, was originally in Ayutthaya style but acquired more Rattanakosin elements during several moves
• This structure has an open pavilion used as a meeting place and to protect people from sun and rain and retains beauty.
• The walls of Northern Houses 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

Religious Buildings

• Buddhist temples reflect the country's widespread Buddhist traditions
• Wat is properly used to refer only to a Buddhist site with resident monks
• The term may typically apply to any place of worship other than Islamic mosques found in southern Thailand
• Thai Wat originally functioned as a traditional School, hospital, community center, and entertainment venue
• It follows a similar set of design principles, where each and every part of the Thai complex carries a symbolic significance

Parts of a Thai Wat

• Consists of two parts: Phuttha –Wat (dedicated to Buddha; temple complex), Sangha-Wat Thai Buddhist Temple (living quarters of monks)

Parts of Phuttha – Wat

• Ubosot or Bot (Ordination Hall) - place where monks perform ceremonies, meditate, and sermonize
• Luk Nimit are large consecrated spheres buried under a temple's boundary stone during the consecration of ubosot -Phra rabieng are Cloister-like galleries around the Bot/Ubosot
• Buddha images and sometimes religious furniture line along it's walls
• Viharn (teaching Hall) is the busiest building in a Wat and open to everyone
• Houses contain various Buddha images and is a preaching hall, prayer and meditation
• Ku is 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.
• The Singha is a guardian lion at the entrance of the Viharn and comes in pair, often made in Burmese style in Chiangmai
• The Nak Sadung and Makara form the balustrades of the Viharn
• A Naga (dragon) is called Nak Sadung emerging from the mouth of Makara, a water beast with features of the crocodile, elephant, and fish
• Northern Thai temple building roofs are composed of three superimposed tiers, with the lowest tier over the porch, where each tier may comprise of two or three sections
• The lowest sections spread out like a mother hen spreading her wings to protect her chick
• The Gable usually highly decorated
• The design is according to the ability of the builders and the wealth of the temple
• Kong Khieu is a decorative element, or pelmet, that forms the arch, which represents the eyebrows of the Buddha
• Pan Lom is the 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
• The Hu Chang, meaning "elephant ears" are the eave-brackets along the outer wall of the Viharn A triangular piece of wood is often, highly ornamented, in the form of intertwining naga, e.g Nak Kieo, or a Naga on it's own (Nakkhatan), the monkey king Hanuman, or the mystical bird Kinnari or
• A chedi or stupa is a domed edifice under which relics of the Buddha or revered religious teachers are buried
• Lower portions of the structure include the upper base (Traiphum), the bell shaped part (ong-rakhang), the spire base, and circular tiers representing the heavens
• Upper structure is a lotus bud shape (plee) and the chattra
• Hti is a bejeweled sacred umbrella that sits at the topmost part of the chedi and is often Burmese influenced

Sangha-Wat Thai Buddhist Temple

• Contained within the wall surrounding the temple complex and comprises the living quarters of the monks
• It consists of: Kuti (living quarters), Hor Rakang (Bell tower), Sala Kan Prian (preaching or sermon hall)
• Kuti is a small structure, built on stilts, designed to house a monk, often grouped together on a shared terrace and may include a Hor Trai used to store scriptures.
• Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew is constructed from made of 1 million glass recycled bottles dating back to 1984.