Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The lotus, a reminder of religious perfection, decorates temple gates and posts, veran-
da columns and spires of Sukhothai-era
chedi
and often form the pedestal for images of
the meditating Buddha. Lotus buds are used solely for merit-making, not for secular dec-
oration.
Contemporary Architecture
Thais began mixing traditional architecture with European forms in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, as exemplified by Bangkok's Vimanmek Teak Mansion and
certain buildings of the Grand Palace.
The port cities of Thailand, including Bangkok and Phuket, acquired fine ex-
amples of Sino-Portuguese architecture - buildings of stuccoed brick decorated
with an ornate facade - a style that followed the sea traders during the colonial era.
In Bangkok this style is often referred to as 'old Bangkok' or Ratanakosin.
Buildings of mixed heritage in the north and northeast exhibit French and English
influences, while those in the south typically show Portuguese influence. Shoph-
ouses
(hôrng tăa·ou)
throughout the country, whether 100 years or 100 days old,
share the basic Chinese shophouse design, in which the ground floor is reserved
for trading purposes while the upper floors contain offices or residences.
Modernism & Beyond
In the 1960s and 1970s the trend in modern Thai architecture, inspired by the
European Bauhaus movement, shifted towards a stark functionalism: the average
building looked like a giant egg carton turned on its side. When Thai architects
began experimenting with form over function during the building boom of the
mid-1980s, the result was high-tech designs such as ML Sumet Jumsai's famous
Robot Building on Th Sathon Tai in Bangkok. Rangsan Torsuwan, a graduate of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), introduced the neoclassic (or neo-
Thai) style. A traditional-building specialist, Pinyo Suwankiri designs temples, gov-
ernment buildings and shrines for hospitals and universities in Thailand. His work is
ubiquitous and the blueprint for an institutional aesthetic of architecture.
In the new millennium, shopping centres and hotels have reinterpreted the tradi-
tional Thai house through an industrial modernist perspective. Geometric cubes are
defined by steel beams and glass curtains.
