The Space Under Stilt Houses in a Thai Social Context:The Transformation to a Main Functional Space

Abstract

The Vernacular house is one type of vernacular architecture which changes constantly. In Thailand, houses in each region possess unique characteristics depending on the topography, environment, social background and the culture of each region. Yet, there is one constant characteristic of vernacular houses in Thailand that can be found in almost every region of the country. This characteristic is the “raised floor”, which is a good example of the natural and contextual adaptation of the vernacular house. The space created by the “raised floor” is called “TAITHUN”. In the midst of the current, rapidly changing and popular wave of house building, which creates varieties in the design of Thai vernacular houses, the under house space has constantly changed. From the past to the present, the functions and physical characteristics of such spaces have been adapted to suit the social conditions and the ways the people live their lives instead of being static. Therefore, the past perception of the under house space as a dirty, useless area mainly used to breed animals and the old beliefs that the space is inauspicious and that people should not walk under it has changed. In the present context, the under house space has become a space of various functions and more importantly, one of the main functional spaces of the house.