The construction of Thailand’s new 12-billion baht Parliament Building is scheduled to be completed in 2012.  The design, which was chosen by a parliamentary committee from among 5 finalists, is said to represent the Thai identity.  It focuses on the concept of Buddhist morality to govern mundane politics, according to the designers. However, Chatree Prakitnonthakarn, an architecture lecturer at Silpakorn University and expert on historical architecture during the post-1932 revolution era, questioned the relevance of the idea.

The design was titled ‘Sappaya Sapha Sathan’.  According to the team of architects who conceived the design, the Buddhist term ‘Sappaya’ means ‘comfortable in dharma’, and the title is supposed to mean ‘a place for doing good deeds or good karma’.

Photos from http://newthaiparliament.multiply.com/

Team leader Theerapol Niyom said that his team had started the project with four objectives for the design: to salvage the spirituality of society which is now in moral crisis; to represent the Thai identity; to facilitate learning in society; and to promote the relationship between the state and the people.

The team conceived a design based on Buddhist mythology in order for the people to uphold morality, and to be aware of karma, which will result in a peaceful society.

Piyamase Krairerk, a landscape architect in the team, said that, in the vertical perspective, the lower part of the Parliament Building was deemed to represent worldly matters, while the top of the building represented the governing morality, or the transcendent.  Horizontally, the spaces at the North, the South and the East are regarded as the worldly sphere, with infrastructure including a subway station, piers and an open space for public gatherings to accommodate all people who come for whatever reason, visiting or rallying.  The space on the West side along the Chao Phraya River is regarded as the transcendent sphere, with the landscape arranged to mimic Mount Phra Sumeru, home of a Hindu god.

Piyamase said that the waterfront landscape during day time would look serene, like traditional Thai architecture which inspires of the transcendent, while at night, with lighting effects, it would convey the impression of an enlightened and calm mind.  ‘When looking from boats on the river, observers will feel the peacefulness, which conveys the ideas of selflessness and nothingness,’ he said.  

Chatree Ladalalitsakul, another team member, said that their design reflected the 5 ideals of Nation, Morality, Wisdom, Monarchy, and People.  They conceived of the new Parliament Building as an embodiment of morality and merit through the installation of Phra Siam Thevathiraj, Siam’s guardian deity, at the top of the building.  Wisdom will be reflected through a museum of the Thai nation as a place of learning for youth and foreign visitors alike.

A royal hall for royal functions will be placed at the centre of the building.  The building will also be designed to be accessible and friendly to the people as well.

The team is supposed to finish a detailed design in eight months with a budget of 200 million baht.  Construction is expected to start next year, and be completed in 2012.  

Chatree Prakitnonthakarn, who has published a study of architecture during the People’s Party era, told Prachatai that he was not surprised with the result of the contest, but he was disappointed.

He said architecture circles in Thailand were still obsessed with an old-fashioned mindset about the Thai identity.  They tend to stick to certain forms, digging out elements of traditional architecture to represent the present.

He said that the design did not reflect the principles of democracy, such as equality, rights and freedom, and the designers were concerned about irrelevant points.

In his view, Parliament represents one of the powers in democracy, and it is not supposed to serve a moral function.

‘It’s not that morality is bad, or unnecessary, but just to refer to religious morality over and over again does not solve social problems.  If that was the case, why shouldn’t we invite monks to run the country instead?’ he said.

Furthermore, he asked who was to decide what was moral or not.  There are numerous examples in history of people who claimed the moral right to hold power and suppressed others for the sake of religion and gods.

Why do we need to go back to such ideas, he asked.

Contrary to the designers’ claim to make Parliament friendly and accessible to the people, Chatree said that the idea of making Parliament a sacred place would not be likely to encourage people to enter, but would intimidate them instead.

For Chatree, the idea of a Thai identity in the Parliamentary compound is not necessary.  The architecture should instead reflect the ideology of democracy, the power of the people, rights and freedoms, and equality, and so on.

But, to be fair to the designers, Chatree said that the form had already been prescribed in the Terms of Reference.  So, to win the contract, the designers had to come up with a design like this.

According to the TOR, out of 100 points, 40 were to be given for the conception of Thai identity in the design, compared to only 25 points for utility 

Chatree referred to a document which recorded question and answer sessions between members of the parliamentary committee and competing architects.  When the committee was asked about its view on the subject of identity, a senator member replied ‘Architects must know what is Thai.  You’re supposed to create Thai architecture which people can comprehend, perceive, and be proud of.’

Chatree argued that nobody could say for sure what exactly a Thai identity in architecture was, because such a thing was elusive.

Chatree said that, in the design, elements of Thai traditional architecture were just put together with those of modern architecture, without any real connection.

In his view, the Parliament building should focus on the power of the people.  Instead, the design places Phra Siam Thevathiraj on the top, and the royal hall and the museum on the central axis, which means importance is given to the Nation, Religion and King.  House and Senate meeting halls are placed on both sides of this axis, and they are named Sun and Moon, which, according to Buddhist mythology, orbit around Mount Phra Sumeru, the centre of the universe.