Thailand Architecture

1. THAILAND
ARCHITECTURE

2. GEOGRAPHICAL
INFLUENCES
• The name Siam came from a
Sanskrit word, Syam.
• The word Siam itself is one that
is Sanskrit in origin, coming from
the word Syama,which means
dark or brown, in reference to
the skin color of the native
people.
• After the reforms in 1932, which
transformed the country from an
absolute monarchy to a
constitutional monarchy, the
name was changed in 1939 to
Thailand.

3. Geographical Setting
• Total Land Boundary: 4,863km
• Borders:
North - Laos and Myanmar
East - Laos and Cambodia
South - Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia
West - Andaman Sea and Myanmar

4. GEOGRAPHICAL
AND CLIMATIC
INFLUENCES
• Rich in durable, decorative timbers e.g.
teak & ebony suitable for all types of
constructionwork
• Bricks
• Stone- little used except for foundation
• Tropical climate with monsoon rains &
winds

5. CULTURAL
INFLUENCES
• An enchanting archipelago brimming with cultural
history,Thailandis steeped inrich tradition and spirituality
that is heavily influenced by ethnic groups from India,
Cambodia,China and other countries from Southeast Asia.
• Thailand remains the only country in Southeast Asia not
colonized by Europeans. While all of its neighbors were
controlled by either the British or the French.
• Thailand managed this feat by selectively ceding some
Malay territories to the British and through the clever use of
negotiations.
• During WWII, Thailand was allied with Japan, so technically
it was never conquered. After WWII it allied itself with the
United States, which helped keep it free of the communist
revolutions that swept through Laos,Cambodia, and
Vietnam. Luang Phibunsongkhram;
Lead a coup against Chakri

6. RELIGIOUS
INFLUENCES
• Buddhism is a key component to
the identities of many Thais.
• Buddhism arrived in Thailand
from Sri Lanka.
• Became the dominant religion in
both Thailand and Laos in the
12th century.

7. RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES
• Buddhist temples inThailand are
characterized by tall golden stupas.
• Monks are some of the most highly
respected people in Thai society. People
will give up their seats on buses for monks
and begenerally kind towards them in
order to receivegood karma.

8. RELIGIOUS
INFLUENCES
• Said to have been introduced to the
Malay Peninsula by Arab traders and
adventures during the13th 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.

9. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Reflects Buddhistinfluence
• Use of stone instead of traditional brick & rubble
• Interiors: sculpture & mural painting
• Ornamentation: Chinese characters
• Surfaces finished with porcelain tiles
• Walls: white, stuccoed brick
• Roofs: highly colored, glazed tiles; multi-level overlapping roofs
• Gable & barge boards decorated with Hindu-Angkor iconography e.g. nagas;Vishnu in a
garuda; Siva on a bull
• Door & window shutters: of carved wood lacquered in black & gold & inlaid with mother–of-
pearl themes of guardian divinities, enchanted forests, ferns & flowers, & still life

10. RELIGIOUS
ARCHITECTURE
WAT
• Thai Temple
• A group of buildings each serving
various purposes and usually set
within a wall enclosure.
Wat Arun Ratchawararam
Ratchawaramahawihan, Bangkok

11. PARTS OF A WAT

12. Parts of a Wat
The Bot
• Reserved for monks to perform ceremonies, meditate and sermonize.
• Faces east
• Houses the Main Buddha Image
Bai Semas
• Surrounds the bot
• Sacred boundary stones
• Eight (8) are used in total but double slab stones were used for Royal Wats.

13. Parts of a Wat
The Chedi
• A solid domed shaped structure where relics of both Buddha or the ashes of a
past King.
• Atop the Chedi may be a stylized thunderbolt sign of the Vishnu
Wihan
• A secon assembly hall; larger than a Bot.
• No Bai Sema surrounding the Wihan

14. Parts of a Wat
The Mondop
• A square-based structure topped with either a cruciform roof or a spire.
• Contains sacred text or an object of worship.
The Bodhi Tree
• Most wats include a Bodhin Tree (Sacred Figar Pipal Tree)
The Cloister
• Main wall
• Encloses the main area of Wat

15. Parts of a Wat
• Living quarters and dormitories of Monks
The Sanghawat
• Belltowers
The Ho Rakangs
• Acts as meeting place for pilgrims
The Minor Salas
• Wat Library
The Ho Trai

16. WATKU KUT TEMPLE
aka WATCHAMA
THEWI,Lempun
• Named after Queen Chama Thewi,
who founded Lempun in the 8th
Century.
• Oldest Structuresin North Thailand
• 2 Chedis: The most interestingand
singnificantstructuresof Wat Ku Kut
(SuwannadChang Kot Chedi and
Ratana Chedi)
• Chedi: A buddhist monument or
Shrine
• At every step of the Chedi, there are
niches that containa Buddha image.

17. ROYAL
ARCHITECTURE
• Typicallya mixture of Thai Wat, traditionalhouse style and
western architecture.
• Teak wood

18. BANGKOK GRAND PALACE
AND WAT PHRA KAEW
TEMPLE
• May 6, 1782; Construction
began at the order of King
Rama I
• 218,400 sq. m.; Rectangular
• Divided into several quarters:
Temple of Emerald Buddha,
Outer Court, Middle Court
(Phra Maha Monthein
Buildings, Phra Maha Prasat
Buildings, Chakri Maha Prasat
Buildings), Inner court.
• The complex consists of a
number of buildings within
the precincts of the Grand
Palace in the historical centre
of Bangkok. It houses the
statue of the Emerald Buddha,
which is venerated as the
country's palladium.

19. GRAND PALACE

20. Temple of the
EmeraldBuddha
• Wat Phra Si RattanaSatsadaram
• A royal chapel
• Surrounded on four sides by a series of walled cloiseterswith seven gates
• Strictly aheres to Thai classicalarchitecture.

21. Outer Court • Khet Phra Racha Than Chan Nork
• Situatedto the Northwest of the
palace
• Headquarters and information
center of the GrandPlace and the
Bureau of the Royal Household
• Seat of the royal government
• Housed:
- Sala Sahathai Samakhom: used for
important receptions & meetings
- Sala Luk Khun Nai: office building
for various departments of the Royal
Household.

22. MIDDLE COURT
• Largest and most important court
• Central part of the Grand Palace fronted by
Amornwithi Road
• Divided into three groups of throne halls.
• All buildings faces north and arranged from front to
back.
1. Public Reception Hall (front)
2. Ceremonial Halls (middle)
3. Residential Halls (back)

23. INNER COURT
• Khet Phra Racha Than Chan Nai
(Fai Nai)
• Reserved exculsively for use of
the King and his harem.
• Southernmost part of the Grand
Palace Complex.
• The Inner Court was once
populated by small low-lying
structures surrounded by
gardens, lawns and ponds.