走向未来

尼斯·斯他比达农达/Nitis Sthapitanonda

路培 译/Translated by LU Pei

走向未来

尼斯·斯他比达农达/Nitis Sthapitanonda

路培 译/Translated by LU Pei

本文对泰国建筑的发展进行了宏观式的回顾，阐释了泰国建筑的演变与其所属社会文化背景之间的关系。在廓清泰国建筑历史脉络的同时，提出了影响当今泰国建筑业背后的文化和经济动因。立足过去与当下，本文试图在亚洲建筑这一更大的背景下思考泰国建筑的未来。

建筑与文化，建筑历史，建筑与社会

昨天

由于泰国古代遗迹大多源于公元7世纪左右，泰国建筑的历史因此可追溯至1000多年以前。人们至今可以看到以砖、石为材料的古代宫殿和神庙的遗迹。

然而，当我们依循时光追溯泰国建筑的历史，我们发现某些历史的片段已然不复存在。由于大多数泰国古代建筑均由木材和其他有机材料建成，不足以抵抗岁月的侵蚀。除去石质宫殿和神庙所遗留下来的石头外，我们缺少一个完整的古代建筑的谱系以供研究或继承。

外来建筑的影响在泰国建筑的发展和演变过程中扮演了重要的角色。高棉建筑、中国建筑和欧洲建筑都曾在泰国建筑的历史上留下过各自的印记。众多各异的建筑风格，从古典、现代、后现代、解构，到当代建筑与热带建筑，均可在泰国找见。因此，多样性一直以来都是泰国文化不可或缺的要素之一，它对泰国当代建筑的影响也是显而易见的。

为了理解一个国家及其建筑的发展轨迹，我们需要考虑诸多因素。这个国家的核心价值观是什么？国民性如何？局限又有哪些？在城市规划与建筑发展的语境下，这些问题经常被忽略。

过去，泰国建筑的理论主要基于宗教与艺术。时至今日，情况已有了较大改变。当代建筑的演进已逐渐围绕着技术、生活方式和市场展开。宗教、艺术、文化这些构成人类文明的重要组成部分，如今对建筑的影响力已经越来越小。在未来社会的发展中，以经济为驱动的泰国建筑正陷入岌岌可危的境地。

政治也在泰国社会和其建筑的发展中起着十分关键的作用。在泰国，政治动乱已持续了近10年，整个国家都处在压力之中。创意经济的发展速度也有所下降。对于当下的泰国人而言，终极问题是“从这里该走向何处”。

今天

当今的泰国是各种社会文化相互作用的混合体。尽管有着较强的农业传统，泰国不同层次的经济体依然有赖于自然资源的供给。热带气候为我们带来充沛的降雨和温暖的天气，任何适合热带气候的作物均可以种植。我们有着丰富的土地和水资源；几乎没有自然灾害；生活成本也比较低。在所有这些条件的共同作用下，形成了泰国人淳朴、乐观、随和的性格。除去生活琐事之外，泰国人愿意在艺术和手工艺上花费时间和精力，也因此成就了泰国艺术与建筑独一无二的特性。

泰国精致的手工艺加之相对廉价的劳动力成本，使得外国投资者对泰国趋之若鹜。从逻辑上讲，泰国是其所处地区（东南亚）的中心，这使得泰国更具吸引力。在鱼米之乡广阔的田野上，工业化和城市化正如火如荼地进行着。然而，由于深厚的农耕传统，泰国人的思维方式缺乏系统性。我们习惯于顺其自然。我们传统的房子非常简单，几乎像是一座原始棚屋。随着家庭人口数量的增长，房子也随之变大。

这种不系统的组织方式体现在诸多方面，从大型的城市规划到小规模的住宅区规划，曼谷就是其中一例。由于整座城市里河渠纵横交错，曼谷曾被称作“东方威尼斯”。后来，这些河渠被人为地填成了公路，整座城市的肌理也就自然而然地形成了，但对于今天这样一个有着800万人口的城市却是不适用的。

如果谈及泰国的建筑设计，我们的理论曾植根于宗教信仰和自然。然而，从那莱大帝统治期间（1656-1688）外国建筑师进入泰国的时候起，泰国本土的建筑师开始学习西方建筑，事情便随之有了变化。传统的理论只适用于传统建筑，而现当代建筑的理论又多种多样，如何抓住泰国建筑的实质，一直以来困扰着我们并让我们为之挣扎。当今的泰国建筑缺乏特性，我们城市的天际线已模糊不清。

明天

东南亚国家联盟（ASEAN）将于明年开放其领地，允许成员国之间进行某些货物和服务的自由交易，这样一来，整个市场将实现10倍的扩充。同时，每个成员国也都将获得发展的机会，但问题在于“该如何发展”。

首先，我们必须清楚我们是谁？我们有何局限？当我们把这些问题想清楚之后，进步便不难实现了。

对于有着闲散生活方式的泰国建筑师而言，我们习惯做中小尺度的建筑，我们喜欢专注于细节和有着复杂功能的房子，比如，私人住宅、度假酒店、温泉浴场等。但这并不意味着我们不能做大尺度的项目。泰国建筑中最具吸引力的仍是那些大型的项目，我们同样可以把这些大型建筑做得很好。然而，现在的问题在于，为了获得良好的国际声誉，我们付出了太多努力，从而忘记了我们真实的身份。对于泰国建筑师而言，当务之急是要对“泰国性”一词的内涵进行集体反思。我们势必要找回自己的身份，创造属于这个时代的新泰国魅力。缺失了身份，我们的城市将会沦为一座仅供旅游观光的文化鬼城；而我们这一代人的不作为将给泰国建筑的历史带来无法弥合的文化断层。□

Yesterday

The history of Thai architecture can be traced back over a thousand years, with our most ancient ruins dating back to around the 7thcentury. Traces of ancient palaces and temples, constructed from masonry or stone, can still be seen today.

Yet as we trace our architectural history back through time, we realize that parts of this history have been lost. A vast range of ancient Thai architecture was made of wood and other organic materials, and has not survived. Beyond the stonework of masonry palaces and temples, we do not have a complete ancient tectonic repertoire to study or develop from.

Foreign influences have also played an important role in the development and transformation of Thai architecture. Khmer, Chinese and Europeans have all had a part in the history of Thai architecture. Different architectural styles-Classical, Modern, Post-Modern, Deconstructivist, Contemporary and Tropical-can all be seen in Thailand. This kind of diversity has always been an important part of our culture and it is prominently reflected in our architecture today.

In order to understand how a country and its architecture develop, many factors need to be looked at. What are the core values of that country? What is the nature of its people? What are the constraints on them and the place? These issues are usually left out of discussions of urban planning and architectural development.

In the past, Thai architectural thinking was based primarily on religious beliefs and arts. But a lot have changed since then. Architecture today has evolved from and revolved around technology, life style and market driven initiatives. Religious, artistic and cultural appreciation of the arts, which are a vital part of any civilization, have become less and less important. Economy driven architecture is leaving Thailand in a very vulnerable position vis a vis the development of its future society.

Politics also play a significant role in the development of Thai society and its architecture. Political disorder has been going on for almost a decade. Stress fills the nation. And our creative economy is not moving forward as fast as it should.The ultimate question for Thais nowadays is "where can we go from here".

Today

Thailand today is a mixture of various sociocultural conditions. We are strongly agricultural and our natural resources still serve different levels of economic strata. The tropical climate gives us plenty of rain and, with warm weather, we can still grow almost anything. Our land and water are full of resources. Natural disasters are rare and the cost of living is low. Together these conditions have madeThais happy and easygoing. Beyond everyday affairs, there is time and effort to be spent on arts and crafts, a factor in the unique characteristics of our art and architecture.

Our delicate craftsmanship and relatively low labor costs have lured foreign investors. And since, logistically, Thailand is in the center of the region, the country is even more attractive. Industrialization and urbanization are gaining ground over the rice fields. But because of our deep agricultural background, we Thais are not very systematic. We tend to let things go, to grow naturally. Our traditional house is very simple. It almost resembles a primitive hut. When the family grows, the house grows with it.

Unsystematic ways of organization can be perceived through many aspects, from large scale urban planning to small-scale residential layouts. A prime example is Bangkok. In the past, Bangkok was called the "Venice of the East" because so many canals threaded through the city. With time, we filled in those canals to make roads. Our urban planning followed what was and not necessarily what should be and also not necessarily suitable for the population of 8 million we have today.

In terms of architectural design, our theory used to be based on religious beliefs and was rooted in nature. But after foreign architects started to enter the Kingdom around the time of King Narai the Great (1656-1688), Thai architects began to learn about Western architecture and both things and thinking started to change. Traditional theory seems only to fit traditional buildings. The field of modern and contemporary architecture is so diverse in terms of theory that we are confused and struggle to grasp where the "Thai-ness" of Thai architecture lies. Our architecture is losing its identity and our skylines are becoming a "blur-line".

Tomorrow

Next year, ASEAN nations will open up their territories to allow their member states to trade certain goods and services freely, thus expanding market as a whole tenfold. Each ASEAN country will have a change to move forward but the question is "how".

First, we have to know who we are, what our constraints are. Once we do it will not be difficult to progress.

As for Thai architects, with our laidback lifestyle, we are comfortable making small to medium sized architecture. We love to work on fine details and intricate programs such as private residences, resorts, spas and the like. This does not mean that we cannot do large scale projects. All of our major attractions are large scale and we can do them beautifully. The problem is, we try too hard for international recognition and forget who we actually are. What Thai architects need to do collectively is to revisit the word "Thai-ness". We must bring back our own identity and create new Thai attractions of and for our time. Without identity, our cities will just be cultural ghost towns dedicated to the tourist. If, as a generation, we fail there will be a cultural gap in the history of Thai architecture. □

Towards Tomorrow

This essay gives a broad overview of Thai architectural discourse. It explains the socio-cultural background of the transformation of Thai architecture. Providing an outline of Thai architecture in the past, the essay also examines the cultural and economic logics behind the production of Thai architecture today. Drawing from the past and present, the essay concludes with a question regarding the future of Thai architecture in relation to a larger context of Asian architectural production.

architecture and culture, architectural history, architecture and society

建筑师，Architects 49有限公司副总裁。美国哥伦比亚大学建筑学硕士，佛罗里达大学建筑学学士。/Architect and Deputy Managing Director of Architects 49 Ltd. M.A., Columbia University and B.A., University of Florida, USA

2014-04-26