Revised version of Thesis Proposal; final part

(continued from part 3)

RESOURCES

Aasen, C. (1998). Architecture of Siam: a cultural history interpretation. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

Askew, M. (2002). Bangkok: Place, practice and representation. London and New York: Routledge.

Bourdier, J & Alsayyad, N. (Ed.). (1989). Dwellings, Settlements and Tradition: cross-cultural perspectives. Maryland: University Press of America.

Chaichongrak, R. & Nil-athi, S. & Posayanonda, S. (2002). The Thai House: history and evolution. Thailand: Asia Books.

Correa, C. (1996). Charles Correa. London: Thames and Hudson.

Correa, C. (1999). Charles Correa: Housing and Urbanisation. New York: Thames and Hudson.

Frampton, K. (1992). Modern Architecture: A critical history third edition: revised and enlarged. London: Thames & Hudson.

Holston, J. (1989). The Modernist city: An anthropological critique of Brasília. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Hoskin, J. (1995). Bangkok by design: Architectural diversity in the city of angles. Bangkok: Post Books.

Khan, H. (1987). Charles Correa. North America: Butterworth Architecture.

Klausner, J, W. (2000). Thai Culture in Transition (revised edition). Bangkok: Amarin Printing and Publishing Public.

Laowong, C. (1999). Cultural Values and Living Spaces: the exploration of an appropriate housing for Thai families in contemporary society. Unpublished Master’s thesis.

Low, M, S & Chambers, E. (Ed.). (1989). Housing, Culture, and Design: a comparative perspective. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Mumtaz, K. (1999). Modernity and Tradition: Contemporary Architecture in Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University Press.

Panyarachun, A. (Ed.). (1996). Thailand: King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Golden Jubilee: 1946-1996. Thailand: Asia Books.

Perera, N. (1998). Society and spaces: Colonialism, materialism, and postcolonial identity in Sri Lanka. Boulder Co: West View Press

Robson, D. (2002). Geoffrey Bawa: The complete works. London: Thames and Hudson.

Taylor, B. (1986). Geoffrey Bawa. New York: Concept Media.

Tirapas, C. (2004). Thai Critical Vernacular Architecture. Unpublished conference paper.

Warren, W. & Beurdeley J. (1999). Jim Thompson: the house on the klong. Singapore: Archipelago Press.

Waterson, R. (1998). The Architecture of South-East Asia through Travellers’ Eyes. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

Winichakul, T. (1994). Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Yeoh, B. (1996). Contesting space: Power relations and the urban built environment in colonial Singapore. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

--End of Thesis Proposal--

Kwanlert Nunthavisith

Revised version of Thesis Proposal part 3

(continued from part 2)

THE METHODS

- Case Studies

• How “rural” Thais are adapting Westernized cultural practices into their dwellings

• How the Thais who live in downtown Bangkok adapt “modern” dwellings to Thai practices

• How Westerners have attempted create Thai houses (Jim Thompson House)

• How Thai architects have attempted to create Thai houses in Bangkok (Bundit House)

- Interviewing dwellers, architects and scholars

ORGANIZATION: THESIS OUTLINE

Chapter one: Introduction

• Abstract

• General background of Thailand and Bangkok

• Problem Statement

• Issues

• Aim (objectives)

• Relevance

• Research Methods

• Thesis overview

Chapter two: The Thai house
Past: Thai houses in central region (history and evolution)

• Types of Traditional Thai houses

• Characteristics of Traditional Thai houses

• Regional characteristics and Traditional Beliefs

Chapter three: Influential Factors in design Modern Thai houses
Present: Types of contemporary Thai houses

• Detached houses

• Row-houses and Townhouses

• High-rise residence

- Self-colonization in Thailand
- Westernization

• New living pattern

• Western architectural trend

- Incompatibility of Western within Eastern

• Education

• Professional practice

- Familiarization: observation of current living situation

Chapter four: Case Studies

• Case study: examples of Thai Critical Vernacular Architecture idea of houses in Bangkok

Chapter five: The Hybrid houses

• Critical Vernacular Architecture: What is critical vernacular architecture? And what is the major role of this idea in the society?

• Examples of work in the regions i.e. Correa and Bawa’s works.

• Thai Critical Vernacular Architecture in Bangkok: the current works and a possibility of design strategy.

Chapter six: Conclusion

• Evaluation of the questionnaire of “what are the qualifications to be Thai?”

• Draw the result from the whole study of Thai contemporary residence in Bangkok

• Suggesting the possibilities to provoke the idea of indigenization

TIME FRAME

Fall 2004
October

• A bibliography of general background reading

• Thesis proposal and Introduction

• A more detailed proposal (topic definition/timeline/methods)

November

• Writing the General Background of Thailand and Bangkok for a more detailed introduction

• Writing Chapter 2: traditional Thai houses and contemporary Thai houses

• Writing Chapter 3: self-colonization / westernization / familiarization

December (partly)

• Data collection in Bangkok (site visiting/interview/questionnaire)

• More bibliography from libraries in Bangkok and Thai sources

Spring 2005
January – March (partly)

• Participating CAP Asia in Thailand, India and Taiwan

• More data collection from the trip seminars, conferences, interviews, and construction project

• Writing Chapter 4: critical vernacular idea / Thai critical vernacular

• Writing Chapter 5

• Analytical process and revising the data

March – April

• Writing the conclusion

• Revising all chapters

May

• Finalizing

• Grammatical check

• Submit the thesis

(to be continued)

Revised version of Thesis Proposal part 2

(continued from last post)

AIM (OBJECTIVES)

• Provide a base for developing a new design strategy in Thai contemporary residential design to represent the local identity

This is carried out through:

• The contestation of the prevalent “imitative syndrome,” or mimicry of knowledge produced in the West, in regard to dwellings.

• The analysis of how the Thais reproduce Thainess in today’s environment

• The identification of how space has supported or hindered Thai cultural practices

• The speculation of how could the dwellings be more helpful for the Thais to continue their cultural practices

• The figuring out of what new design elements could enhance this process

• The development of a prototype design

PREMISE / ASSUMPTIONS

• Our challenge, as architects, is not only to create architecture with a poetic essence, but also to respond to our culture, society and lifestyle, and to understand how architecture can reinforce our identity in the global community.

• The development of ideas as to how to create spaces that compatible with Thai culture and identity in today’s environment would help them get out of the “imitative syndrome,” or mimicry of tastes, styles, and knowledge produced in the center.

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

• Will focus on the notion of critical vernacular architecture (Perera, 1998)

• Contested spaces by Brenda Yeoh, 1997

• Indigenization: Reintroduction of “Traditional” elements and spaces / Reinvent traditional architecture (indigenous spaces) (Perera, 2002)

RELEVANCE

• This thesis expects to highlight something missing in the Thai culture and the building culture of today. The Thais constantly struggle to carry out Thai practices in Western dwellings.

• It will help understand the connection between dwellings and culture, society and lifestyle in Thailand

• The development of ideas as to how to create spaces compatible with Thai culture and identity in today’s environment would help the Thais get out of the “imitative syndrome,” or mimicry of tastes, styles, and knowledge produced in the center.

• It will provide space for other voices who have been trying to promote Thai dwelling types

• It will help understand how architecture can reinforce our identity in the global community.

(to be continued)

Revised version of Thesis Proposal part 1

Hi, I'm back again after struggling with confused ideas in my head. Finally, I have a fresh and better framework of my thesis in my hand. Many thanks to Prof. Perera who never give up on me.
Here goes..!!

TITLE

Thai and Modern: Hybridity in the Contemporary Thai Dwelling
A search of regional residential architectre in Bangkok

STATEMENT OF INTEREST

Today, Bangkok has become a metropolitan just like any other big cities in the Western world. Life style of the Bangkokians has also modernized. Moreover, both the economy and the population are also growing rapidly. These developments demand new types of buildings. The response to this demand has been evident in the high-rise residential, high-rise office and commercial complexes in the city and suburban development. This thesis focuses on the house; a type of building that has an intimate relationship with everyone’s life and plays an important role in society.
Unfortunately, as Thai contemporary architecture developed very fast those who developed this type of architecture had no concern for the real cultural meaning. Many housing projects mimic Western country houses and many believe that Western style housing can upgrade the social class of the owner. These owners ignore their own identity.
In the midst of westernizing, some have explicitly attempted to preserve “Thainess”. This is evident in Thomson and Bundit’s houses. The key question is what is a Thai house? Is it a style? Ways of living? Or something else? This thesis will explore the attempt by looking for a possibility to design an indigenous domestic architecture that fits to the contemporary Thai context, an architecture that would be appropriate to a region, climate and materials. As a result from that attempt, I can develop ideas as how to create domestic spaces that compatible with Thai culture and identity and how it would help Thai people get out of the “imitative syndrome,” or mimicry of tastes, styles, and knowledge produced in the West. The addressing of this attempt will be accompanied by a base for developing a new design strategy in Thai contemporary residential design to represent a central region identity.

PROBLEMS

• The Thais are largely immersed in the following of the West: an “imitative syndrome,” or mimicry of tastes, styles, and knowledge produced in the West.

• They still struggle to carry out Thai practices in Western dwellings.

• What would be a Thai house in today’s context?

• How could an architect design dwellings that are most appropriate for Thai’s today?

• What would be the parameters of such house?

• What are the problems of Western style houses in Bangkok? And what would happen if we ignore the indigenization issue?

ISSUES

• What is a traditional Thai house?

• What is traditional Thai culture?

• How has the modern environment changed Thai way of life?

• What is Thai about today’s (modern) Thai culture?

• How are the “modern” dwellings in Bangkok adapted to continuing Thai cultural practices?

• How are Thais responding to the modern environment?

• How is Thainess constructed in modern dwellings in Bangkok?

• What are the qualifications to be Thai?

• How are Thai traditional and Western aspects combined in the modern Thai dwellings in Bangkok?

• What is an acceptable Thai house in today’s Bangkok?

(to be continued)

General Background: Bangkok (draft) (continued)

Bangkok (1782 – present):
Based on a war strategy and future city expansion reason, a suitable location on the east side of Chao Phraya river, the main river of the country, Bangkok was chosen by King Rama I (Phra Phutta Yot Fa)(1782-1809) to be a new capital city of Thailand after Krung Thonburi (1767-1782). With all the small canals (Klong) acted as a main transportation network of the city combining with beautiful nature along those Klongs, foreigners used to call Bangkok as “Venice of the east”. Started in the reign of King Rama IV (Mongkut)(1851-1868), there was a new policy to open the country for foreigners to do the businesses and permanently live. This policy encouraged the process of developing the city. In addition, both King Rama IV and V had a vision to protect the country from the western colonization. His majesty wanted the western to look at Thailand as a civilized country. From that fact, all the new buildings in European style and new roads and infrastructures had been built and continued until the reign of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn)(1868-1910). It was a starting point of self-colonization.
In the King Chulalongkorn period, the policy of creating new Klongs had expanded Bangkok spaciously. Thai people had a very strong relationship with water. They used water from klongs for almost everything for living such as drinking, cooking, cleaning and so on. Moreover, they prefer travel around the city by small boat and there were plenty of food resources in the water. Therefore, wherever the klongs go people will move to reside along them. Because of the expansion of klongs was not in geometrical system and without any preparation for the land transportation system for the future, Bangkok was growing in a random order. Even there were a small number of hard surface roads built around the Grand Palace it was rarely used by Thai nobility, foreign businessmen and ambassadors who traveled by horses or automobiles.
Today, in the reign of King Rama IX (Bhumibol)(1946-today), Bangkok has been urbanized to a metropolitan city with an area of 1,569 square kilometers (606 square miles) and population of 5,782,159 people (last updated 2002). Containing with 50 districts, this city is the most crowded city in the country (see table). It is a primate city that contains all the government offices, military bases, transportation hubs and educational institutes. It is also a main business center that draws people from other provinces to come to make a fortune. Similar to other large cities, Bangkok has problems of population and building high-density, traffic congestion, pollutions and flooded land and degradation. Since this city has no strict building regulations in the past, it causes many of long-term mistake consequences for instance the zoning system, slums, traffic congestion and many more. These problems still continue until today.
When we look at a contemporary urban fabric in Bangkok, it’s an amalgam of dynamic range of eastern and western architecture. The widespread of high-rise buildings in western style have been erected everywhere (see table). Some of them are the commercial buildings and some are for residential purposes. The vertical expansion type of living space is an only essential solution right now due to a high rate price of property. The other reasons that support the idea of high-rise residential building such as townhouse, apartment complex, condominium and penthouse in Bangkok (figures, shown the new real estate ads) is the new young age majority group, around 35-40 years old, who living in the city (see table). Those people are the new generation who prefer new western-like lifestyle and tend to have a nuclear family rather than extended family like in the past. In additional, because to own a land and detach house in Bangkok is far more expansive, buying such those units is more possible.
If we look carefully in those new housing projects especially with apartment complex and condominium, it is a very hard time for architects to put the Thai traditional elements or characters to express the nationalistic feeling to the tenants and other people who look from outside. Consequently, if the owners of the projects and architects overlooked the point of maintaining our national heritage, Bangkok would become a city that has no its own signature in the very close future.

(proceed to Chapter 2)

General Backgroud: Thailand (draft)

General Background:

To make a better understanding of this thesis, a general background of Thailand and a city of Bangkok should be provided. Moreover, the focusing of an overview of the situations in Bangkok for the past 10 years is very important.

Thailand:
As a part of the Southeast Asian Countries, Thailand’s eastern border connects to Laos and Cambodia. The northern and western border connects to Myanmar (Burma) and southern peninsula reaches Malaysia. The peninsula coastlines are bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand (figure). The whole country is divided by geographic and climatic variety into 5 regions, which are North, West, Northeast, Plain and South. According to the data from CIA-The World Fact Book, last updated on 11 May 2004, Thailand has an area of 514,000 square kilometers (198,404 square miles): slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming. The climate condition is a tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (around mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (around November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid.
In the past, foreigners called Thailand as Siam. The conventional long name is “Kingdom of Thailand”. The capital city is Bangkok (old name: Krung Ratanakosin) located in the Plain region. Besides Bangkok, there are 75 other provinces divided into districts, sub-districts, and villages (Chiraporn, 1999). All the provinces are governed under the constitutional monarchy system. The country has a population of nearly 65 million. From those numbers, there are 75% of Thai, 14% of Chinese and 11% of other such as Laos, Khmer and Muslim ethnic groups. The main religion is Buddhism, which is 95%; however, there are some other religions like Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1% and other 0.6% (CIA-The World Fact Book, 1991). Thai is a national language; however they use English as a secondary language of the elite and there are various ethnic and regional dialects spread all over.
In the past decade, economy in Thailand has been changed dramatically. As explained in CIA-The World Fact Book 2004, “Thailand has a free-enterprise economy and welcomes foreign investment. Exports feature textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances. Thailand has recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis and was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002. Increased consumption and investment spending and strong export growth pushed GDP growth up to 6.3% in 2003 despite a sluggish global economy. The highly popular government has pushed an expansionist policy, including major support of village economic development”. From history, Thailand has maintained a good relationship with western countries since the land of Siam, Ayutthaya period 1350-1767. The fact that the Gulf of Thailand acts as a gateway to Southeast Asia, all the commercial boats from France, Holland, Portuguese had passed and the international business has begun since then. Today, the economic growth and opened door for foreign investment have brought not only the money into the country but also the new westernized ideas. They have the effects in numerous fields for example architecture, fashion, all types of media, lifestyles, etc. Even though Thai people freely accept those ideas, the Thai tradition culture and ceremonies still continue parallel with them.

(to be continued)

Thesis Overview (draft)

Overviews:

From this point, there will be several chapters providing information to the reader to understand how this study was sculpted. In chapter 1, general background information of Thailand and a brief statement of how things have changed in the past 10 years in Bangkok are located. This information has a purpose to provide a clear understanding before we jump into deeper details.
In chapter 2, it’s divided in two main sections. First section is a background of Thai houses, describing the types of Thai traditional houses and their characteristics both in physical and abstract aspect. Including the traditional beliefs that strongly influenced to those major architectural elements. In second section, it’s describing the types of contemporary Thai houses such as Townhouse, High-rise residence and so on to give more understanding about how Thai houses have evolved from past until present.
In chapter 3, this is one of the most important sections of this thesis. It is a study about Physical and Cultural factors that will affect the design of the modern Thai house. Since we cannot use the same old elements to accommodate the modern life style of people in the big city like Bangkok. To carefully explore those factors is very critical.
In chapter 4, this chapter has divided in 3 sections. They all point into the idea of The Future of Thai Houses. In first section, it is a study of a paper of Dr.Nij Hiyachiranun, Thai Architecture: Limitations and Alternatives in Inheritance. There are many interesting topics in this paper about the concepts of Thai traditional architecture that will be explained. However, the main focus is on The Principles and Guidelines in Thai Contemporary Architectural Development. The next section is a study of a paper of Professor Dr.Vimolsiddhi Horayangkura, Thai Contemporary Architecture (Rama IV), Thai Architectural Identity: A comment in determination of characteristic of the Thai architectural creation formula. This paper mainly focuses on an analysis of different factors and existing architecture trends that have Thai identity. Moreover, the most interesting topic in this paper is about Thai Architectural Creation Formula. The last section of chapter 4 is the case studies of two Thai contemporary houses. One is Dr.Bundit Chulasai’s house, a successful design of Thai contemporary house in a middle of business district of Bangkok. Another is Jim Thomson’s house, an example of renovated Thai traditional house designed on a combination of Thai and American life style basis.
In the last chapter, all the study and analytical information have been summarized and interpreted to corporate a design project of Thai contemporary single-family house in Bangkok.