Thailand Architecture

The architectural style of Thailand is one of the main part of the country’s culture, its legacy, and reminds both the challenges and tests of living in Thailand’s often extreme climate and historically the importance of architecture to the citizens’ sense of community and religious beliefs. Influenced by the architectural traditions and ideas of many of the country’s cultures, it has also developed significant regional variation with its religious and vernacular builds. Although, Siam urged to identify themselves as a modern state, Western culture and its influence was undesirable and inevitable, apparently. In an attempt to be distinguished, Thailand’s ruling elite leaned towards selective Modernization to avoid the undesired Western influence.

1 universal aspect of Thailand’s traditional architectural style is the elevations of its builds on stilts, usually to around head height. The area beneath the such is used for storing, resting, crafting in the daytime, and maybe sometimes for livestock like chickens or ducks. These houses were raised due to the fact that many villages are centred around rivers, or canals which are subject to flooding during monsoon. Thai builds and living habits are often based on religious and superstitious beliefs. A lot of other considerations like locally available materials, agriculture, climate have a lot to do with its style.

Thai houses are built from a variety of wood and are frequently built in just 1 day as prefabricated wood panels are also made with bamboo, a great material that is easily constructed and doesn’t require professional help. Most homes start as a single family home and when a daughter gets wed, an additional house is built to accommodate her spouse’s family and in-laws. Although the house is made with prefabricated panels that are simple to rearrange, but, unfortunately, there are taboos against rearranging a house. I think that’s cool!!

A traditional house is typically built as a cluster of physically separate rooms arranged around a large, beautiful central terrace. The terrace is the largest, singular part of the house as it makes up to 40% of the square footage and also up to 60% if the veranda is there too! An area in the middle of the terrace is often left open to allow the growth of a tree through the build, offering welcoming shade. The tree chosen in regularly scented or flowering. That is absolutely amazing, I think it’s a gorgeous idea.