Thai Houses (เรือนไทย/ Ruan Thai)
There are many kinds of Thai house which each kind has its unique style. The most popular one is a Thai house made of hard wood. It is widely used as an accommodation from ordinary people to the Royal family. The features of Thai house are as follows,
1. The unique style of high roof is suitable for tropical country where heavy rain coming through the year. High roof helps draining off the roof quickly and prevents roof leakage. At the end of the roof has long awning to protect strong sun. The decoration on the roof with the sharp end of both sides due to the belief in the old day that people hanging animal horns or ivory at the end of their roof to protect their house from evil spirit.
2. The house standing on columns high above the ground and leaving empty space under the house since Thailand are agriculture country and the area is normally flooded during raining season.
3. Columns are not perpendicular but inclined for stability and preventing the house to sink down after raining season on a muddy ground.
4. The house compound is extendable as a group of houses. A new house will be built next to the old house and there is a common terrace connects each house together. A number of a house increases in the same compound as a family enlarges.
5. In traditional Thai architecture of Thai house, nails are not applied but the house is joint together by unique wood jointing technique.
Pook
Thai Language Teacher
