ASA JOURNAL Vol.2 | 2018

Adaptive Reuse of Old Buildings in Thailand: From Conservation to
Adaptation to Socio-Economic Situations and Architectural Design
Challenges
Saithiwa Ramasoot, Ph.D
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Kasetsart University / archstw@ku.ac.th
Abstract
Adaptive reuse is a process of returning an active use to an existing building, which usually involves varying physical
modifications along with an introduction of new functions different from its original design. Thailand has seen the practice
long before recent extensive implementations as an approach to preserve cultural heritage and architectural values as well as
to generate economic benefits from available resources. This article aims to study development of adaptive reuse of old
buildings in Thailand with diverse causes and objectives. It reviews and analyzes patterns of the practices over time, while
identifying issues, factors, phenomena and situations related to building conversions through literature review, observation
and survey of situations and case studies. The study points out that functional adaptation in the past usually involved cultural
and social factors. Architectural hierarchy related to social ranking, history, building owners and original uses was often
considered in conservative adaptations of historical artifacts. However, more recent approaches tend to open for creative
challenges and welcome design interpretations to promote contemporary potential of old buildings. The broad and diverse
implementations include varying types and characteristics of buildings to convert, new uses to introduce, and related physical
interventions. Conversion purposes no longer limit to architectural conservation and urban regeneration, but extend to
adapt and respond to present conditions including social, environmental, economic and tourism issues. Adaptive reuse is then
considered an interesting approach to retain a good balance between conservation and development, while responding to
changing needs and contexts due to the flexibility and diversity of the implementations.
Keywords: Adaptive reuse, architectural conservation, old buildings, rehabilitation
Introduction
The development of architectural projects that involve
old or existing buildings within site contexts is common in
today’s practice. Functional conversion with physical improvement
is among interventions introduced to old buildings that are
originally designed and used for other purposes but may no
longer fully meet present needs and tastes. Such intervention
preserves architectural heritage with values and functional
potential by prolonging its life through interpretation and
physical changes. It is also applied to contemporary buildings
in various conditions in order to serve building and site potentials,
respond to specific issues and express creativity in utilizing
existing resources and reducing consumption of new resources
for environmental sustainability. (Charles Bloszies, 2012) This
article thus aims to study development of adaptive reuse of old
buildings in Thailand that is diversely implemented with
different causes and objectives. It analyzes patterns of adaptive
reuse practices over time and points out issues, factors, phenomena
or interesting situations related to building conversions through
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ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์ Issue 02 / 2018
Academic Journal of The Association of Siamese Architects
under the Royal Patronage
literature review, and observation and survey of situations and
case studies.
Adaptive Reuse or Adaptive Use refers to the process of
converting a building to another use different from its original
design, which often requires varying alterations in the conversion
process. (William J. Murtagh, 1997: 116) It is an economic
approach to save the buildings through adaptations for new
users (James Marston Fitch, 1995: 47) sometimes involving
radical interventions when compared to conservation, restoration
and preservation. Apart from adaptive reuse, several other terms
are widely used when it comes to modifications to improve old
structures, including Renovation, Rehabilitation, Revitalization,
Adaptation, Conversion and Repurposing. All of which refer to
attempts to change parts of old buildings to support present-day
needs with minimal physical changes to the buildings. (Pinraj
Khanjanusthiti, 2009: 86-87) Such process is another approach
to safeguard old buildings as a useful living heritage rather than
the so-called dead monument of the past that lacks linkage to
contemporary cultures. The change of use provides economic
opportunities for old structures or districts, although the
conversion does not necessarily reduce construction cost. Also,
the success of preservation of value and authenticity of the old
artifacts may differ depending on actual implementations in
each case.
Transfers of Old Houses by Tradition
Functional conversion of old buildings have long been
practiced in Thailand due to tradition, belief and purpose to
make use of existing resources. A common building type that
transfers and adapts to a new use is the traditional Thai house,
as confirmed by various existing examples. The Thai house is
a basic dwelling type that can be dismantled and reassembled
without any damage due to the prefabricated structure and
wood joinery techniques. Therefore, house relocation and
family expansion that require changes and addition of house
units can be accommodated. In the past, when the original
house owner passed away and his successors refused to take
over the house, the house may be dissembled and donated to
a temple as merit making for the deceased. The temple would
then rebuild and adapt the structure as it is deemed appropriate,
depending on its size and qualities. Small houses were
often reused as monks’ dwelling units while larger or more
elegant houses were sometimes converted into ordination halls,
Vihara or scripture halls. Existing examples are the Sermon
Hall at Wat Yai Suwannaram in Petchaburi, the Scripture Hall
at Wat Rakhang Kositaram in Bangkok, and the Vihara of Wat
Pantao in Chiangmai. The adaptive reuse of the traditional
Thai house is still in practice today while the traditional beliefs
regarding house transfer in the past are not as strict as before.
Adaptable physical characteristics of the traditional Thai house
architecture greatly facilitate its adaptation. (Saithiwa
Ramasoot, 2008) The value of old Thai houses has increased
with the rising trend to reuse the structure and the emergence
of specialized businesses that restore, customize and resell
previously-used Thai houses for contemporary uses, whether
or not for residential purposes. Distinct examples of traditional
Thai houses adapted for contemporary domestic lifestyles
include Plainern Palace and Lada Ratkasikorn’s residence. In
the case of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj’s residence, each house units
in the compound had individual acquisition stories from
different places and times. Not only is the house notable for
modern modifications to achieve comfort and convenience
such as the installations of an elevator, a modern bathroom
and air-conditioning system, but also for its second major
conservation and conversion into a house museum and rental
event space after M.R. Kukrit’s death.
From Royal Palaces and Noble Residences
to Governmental Offices
A governmental office was considered a new building
type in the Thai society during the Rattanakosin Period. Since
palaces in the past acted as both residence and work place for
royalties and high-ranking officials, there was no apparent
evidence of functional and spatial conversions. Not until the
reign of King Rama IV did a number of new governmental
buildings emerge to accommodate newly-established offices
and sectors for updated administrative systems and services.
Most of which were built in large western-style concrete structures.
The constructions then slowed down again during the
reign of King Rama VII owing to the economic regression and
the political change. The ownership of a number of palaces
was transferred to the Government due to a lack of successors
or by confiscation. The vacant palaces and royal residences
were then repurposed for public uses. For example, Suan
Sunandha Palace which was a residential compound and a
part of King Rama V’s Dusit Palace was reused after the
political revolution for educational purposes as Suan Sunandha
Widhyalai School, Suan Sunandha Teachers College and Suan
Sunandha Rajabhat University consecutively. In the case of
Bang Khun Phrom Palace, the former western-style royal
residence served as the site of several governmental offices
after the 1932 revolution such as Department of Military Youth
and National Council of Cultural Affairs. Since 1945, Bang
Khun Phrom Palace has become the headquarters of the Bank
of Thailand. Originally the Royal Palace in the reign of King
Rama V and VI, Phyathai Palace was converted into an international
hotel by the order of King Rama VII and was also the
site of the first Thai radio broadcast station. To utilize the
property for public purposes, King Rama VII changed it again
as a clinic for the Royal Thai Army which later became
Phramongkutklao Hospital. Apart from royal palaces, a number
of noble residences in the past were sold or rented by the
Government and organizations as offices and public facilities.
For example, the western-influenced Ban Manangasila, once
a residence of Phraya Udomratchapakdi, had been converted
to serve different purposes over time, including a guesthouse
for VIPs and official visitors of the Government, a meeting
space, a political party office and presently the Office of the
National Council of Women of Thailand. Chao Phraya Worapongpipat’s
residence, now Ban Phra Arthit, had been rented
as a office of Goethe Institute before it was sold and used as
the headquarter of The Manager Newspaper. The Italiandesigned
Royal Thai Government House Office, widely known
as Thai-Khu-Fah Building, is another adaptive reuse case study