Traditional

Thai House
Guardian of a Vanishing Heritage
These 100- to 130-year-old houses
from Suphanburi Province were
disassembled, transported to Bangkok
and reassembled to form a single
residence (opposite page). They are
typical of the Central Plains style Thai
house.

fter driving through an intricate network of tiny streets in

the R atchadapisek area of
Bangkok, the taxi stopped in front of
a rust-colored gate with a man smiling
at me from the other side. Khun Preeda? I asked. Yes, he replied.
With all I had heard about Khun
Preeda Phongpitakvises, I was surprised
to see someone much younger than I
had presumed. A sample rsum for
this man could include owner and
construction manager of a traditional
Thai house, educator on Thai culture
and architecture, recognized authority
on blue-and-white porcelain, avid antique collector and restorer, full-time
U. S. embassy employee, husband, and
father of three boys. His youthfulness
and vibrancy reminded me of what can
happen when you live well and follow
your passions.

SawaddiFourth Quarter 1999

Three photos courtesy Preeda Phongpitakvises

In the cool shade under the raised

house, Khun Preeda shared his story of
why he chose to create this urban oasis.
I am from up-country. When I came
to Bangkok from Angthong Province
about thirty years ago, I moved from
one world to another. Seeing all the
differences really made me realize the
value of what we have up there.
Khun Preeda proceeded to tell me the
story of his visit to the Jim Thompson
house. He was surprised that the Thai
tour guide omitted important information about why the house was built the

way it was. A lot of Thai people dont

know about the function of the Thai
house or the history behind it. This
realization was a turning point for him
and a call for action.
Originally, I built this house for
me and my family to bring things back
to the way they used to be. I want my
sons to be proud of this house and their
culture. Now, I would like to acquaint
other cultures with the Thai house. I
want the Thai people to be proud of what
their ancestors have done for them.
Khun Preedas home is an example of

Propis Meegate

I built this house for me and my

family to bring things back to the
way they used to be. I want my
sons to be proud of this house
and their culture, says Khun
Preeda pictured here with his
family.

Text by Lorraine Aguilar

Photographs by Propis Meegate and Courtesy of Preeda Phongpitakvises

Propis Meegate

SawaddiFourth Quarter 1999

Joette Berkompas

SawaddiFourth Quarter 1999

Floating panels fit into

upright teak posts, making
assembly of the house
relatively easy.
The cloth was attached to
the pole to honor the spirit
of the original tree.

contraction with changes in the weather.

Also, if the family starts growing, theres
no need to move to a bigger house. Just
add more panels to expand the size of
an existing room or make a new one.
The house is built on a raised platform supported by poles, keeping it well
above any flood waters, increasing the
wind exposure and deterring snakes
and other unwanted creatures. The
shady area below the house makes for a

Each of the beautiful rooms is elevated from

the main platform for practical reasonsto
keep out rainwater as well as unwanted
creatures and evil spirits.

Terry Smith

This teak door panel with

carved insets show evidence
of the wooden pegging used to
hold the components of a Thai
house together.

Courtesy Preeda Phongpitakvises

residential architecture from the Central

Plains region of Thailand. It was constructed from three separate residences
in Suphanburi Province. These 100- to
130-year-old houses were disassembled,
transported to Bangkok and reassembled
with the three structures connecting to
form a single residence.
The traditional Thai house is designed
for life in harmony with the physical
and spiritual worlds. This harmony is
achieved by using architectural and
artistic ingenuity to create a spiritually
auspicious environment that provides
comfort, beauty and safety in a land of
heavy rain, wind, floods and extreme
heat.
Imagine a house with no nails, screws,
nuts, bolts, or any metal parts to hold
it together. This characteristic feature
of the Thai house is accomplished by
the use of wooden pegs that connect
modular components into an intelligent
design in which the pieces naturally
support each other. For example, the
walls of the house lean slightly inward
to provide greater strength and stability
to the structure and to lessen the impact
of the wind. The concept resembles the
way martial arts students are taught to
stand with their feet apart so that their
legs form an inverted V. In this position
the person is more stable and balanced,
able to withstand stronger blows than
if standing with feet together and legs
straight up and down. Using the same
physics, the Thai house can resist strong
winds and support a heavy tiled roof.
Strength is also enhanced by the use
of teak, a very strong wood. The natural oils in this once-abundant wood
are particularly termite-resistant and
water-resistant.
Extremely portable, as Khun Preeda has proven, the Thai house can be
reassembled in a single day. Floating
panels fit together to form the walls
of the house. These framed wooden
pieces allow for natural expansion and

comfortable workshop, social area and

a cool place where animals can be kept.
The floors are slightly elevated so that
a person steps up into the rooms from
the outside platform. The elevated floors
keep rainwater from flowing indoors
and further deter crawling or slithering
animals from entering the rooms. The
space below the floors is kept open as
a hunting ground for natures own pest
control, the house cat.

Joette Berkompas

Wooden storm shutters over the windows

and the front door serve two functions:
providing ventilation and keeping out the
rain.

Ventilation is a critical design factor

in traditional Thai architecture. Windows built in the walls allow air to flow
through the entire house. The wooden
storm shutters over the windows as well
as the front door usually open inward
so that they may be opened slightly
for ventilation while keeping out the
rain. The roof design also has a special
ventilation function: heat rises out of
the rooms and up into the high pointed
roof. Some gables have a decorative
hole in the center for the rising heat to
exit. The ornamental, carved wooden
fretwork present in Thai houses also
provides ventilation, allowing air to
pass through.
The symbolic features of the Thai
house are deeply rooted in spirituality
and nature. To the Thai people, these are
one and the same. As with other Thai
art forms, Khmer and Indian influences
are evident in residential architecture
throughout the country.

Strict rules dictate the materials,

style, orientation, proportion and ornamentation in the Thai house. Numerology is used to calculate the size
and proportion of the house. For this
reason, no two houses have exactly the
same size or proportion. Cosmology is
used to determine the most favorable
day to start building. Full moons are
considered particularly auspicious days
for building.
In an ancient tradition predating
Buddhism, respect is paid to guardian
spirits residing on the land on which
the house is built. Doll-sized spirit
houses are built upon pillars in a location determined by a Brahmin priest to
be spiritually auspicious. For example,
they are never placed in the shadow of
a building. Jewelry and coins are buried
under the pillar. The spirit house is
decorated with colorful garlands and
small statues representing the guardian
spirits who are enticed into occupying

Decorative carved eaves

brackets support the
roofs where two of the
houses meet.
Courtesy Preeda Phongpitakvises

Propis Meegate

An extra house gable hangs

at the end of the hallway as a
decorative accent.
Courtesy Preeda Phongpitakvises

Connecting the modular sections of

the Thai house, the open hallway
and platform also serve as a hunting
ground for natures pest control, the
house cat.

SawaddiFourth Quarter 1999

Propis Meegate

Lorraine Aguilar

the spirit house to keep them from

living in the family residence where
they could potentially cause trouble
and misfortune. A religious ceremony
and feast are given to honor the spirits. Offerings of rice, incense, flowers
and fruit are frequently placed in the
spirit house.
The roof design of Khun Preedas
house characterizes homes from the
Central Plains of Thailand. The proportion of the high curved roof is inspired
by the gentle curve of a fishermans circular net when he lifts it above the water
from its center. Hooklike ornaments
called ngao decorate the bargeboards
at the base of the roofline to protect
the house against evil spirits. This ornamentation, which probably evolved
from Khmer temple architecture, is
similar to the naga ornamentation used
exclusively in temple architecture. Both
are stylized representations of the head
of naga, the serpent god of rain from
Hindu-Buddhist mythology.
The eave brackets that support the
lower edges of the roof take various
symbolic shapes. At Khun Preedas
house, the eaves are inspired by the
shape of the lotus flower. These carved
wooden designs can range from the
simple to the highly ornate.
The entrance to the house must

The stairway up to
the main house is
oriented in a direction
other than west, the
direction believed to
represent death.

not face west because it is believed

to be the direction of the tollgate of
the dead. When people die, they are
placed with their heads facing west,
the direction of the setting sun.
If other constraints dictate a western-oriented front door, the stairway
leading up to the house will be constructed so that its entrance faces north, south
or east. Similarly, beds are arranged in
the bedroom so that the heads face in
any direction but west.
The number nine is considered to be
a spiritually propitious and powerful
number. It can be found in many places,
from the numerology used in designing
the house to the length of time of the
spirit house ceremony. Nine auspicious
trees can be planted in the garden to
bring good luck to the household. The
jackfruit tree is planted behind the house
to provide stability, since the Thai word
for jackfruit, khanun, means supporting.
Jackfruit is also planted in the backyard
to be nearer to the kitchen, since the
heavy, spiney fruit can easily grow to be
as large as a basketball. Another lucky
tree is the mayom (gooseberry), which
bears a small sour fruit. It is planted in
the front of the house so that people
will like you while the tamarind tree
is planted on the corner or side of the
house so that people will respect you.
Much can be learned about Thai
culture by observing life in a traditional

The meditation room of Khun Preedas

house is furnished traditionally with
Thai antiques.

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Thai household. Families eat, work and

play together. They often sleep together
in a common bedroom under the same
mosquito net. Aging grandparents live
with their children and grandchildren,
so there is no need for an old folks home
in a traditional Thai village.
Life is so different when you live in
a house like this, Khun Preeda said.
Rice is cooked in a ceramic pot instead
of a rice cooker. Curries are made by
grinding ingredients with a mortar and
pestle. In the old days, you used your
mind to concentrate and meditate on
the food you were preparing. It was a
way of relaxing. Thats why people who
live like this are healthy and dont have
nervous breakdowns.
Social interaction is also an important
ingredient in a traditional Thai household. Up-country, we always have a
betel nut set, some tobacco and some
water on the ground floor, ready for the
friend who will stop by. But were losing
this way of life in this present day. Here,
people live in the same condo, but they
dont even know each other.
The garden is an important source
of food, toys and medicine for the
household. In addition to fruit trees,
herbs such as lemongrass and basil are
also typically plantedenough to share
with the neighbors. This is a reciprocal
system which promotes harmony and
friendship, Khun Preeda emphasized.
We depend on each other. Everyone is
so connected to each other. Thats why
up-country, when we have a ceremony
or cremation, the whole village knows.
You dont even need to tell them. For
example, when my father died, we had

Courtesy Preeda Phongpitakvises

Propis Meegate

Above: The doorway from the original house leads to

the back terrace. The wooden bar provides a security
system that predates metal locks. Right: In the guest
room hospitality items rest on a low table.

over a hundred people come to our

house. They came with glass noodles,
melonsall kinds of food. Some even
stayed overnight and helped with the
cooking and the preparations so that
youre not alone. Your friends keep you
busy so you forget the sadness.
Given the beauty, history, and function, why dont more people build Thai

houses? One difficulty is finding someone with the expertise to put such
a house together, since there are no
blueprints or manuals for these houses.
Such puzzle masters are few, and their
numbers are dwindling.
Modernization presents further
difficulties. When Khun Preeda first
came to Bangkok thirty years ago,

The garden is an important focal point for Thai families, providing a source of food,
entertainment and medicine.

traditional houses lined many of the

canals, especially along Khlong Saen
Saeb and Ratchadamneon Road. Almost
all have disappeared and been replaced
by multiunit dwellings. In this world
of condominiums, cell phones, and
microwaves, traditional life requires a
conscious effort.
Khun Preeda explains, By living in a
Thai house like this, you must spend a
lot of money and time in maintenance.
This is the way it used to be. Many
people dont even know what we have
and why we have it. Thats why I open
this house to othersto make it known
what we have. Its something for the
Thais to be proud of.

Courtesy Preeda Phongpitakvises

Lor raine Aguilar is a management

consultant on sabbatical in Thailand to
write a book and master the guitar.
P r o p i s Me e g a t e i s a p r o f e s s i o n a l
photographer working in Thailand.

SawaddiFourth Quarter 1999

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