走向未來

尼斯·斯他比達農達/Nitis Sthapitanonda

路培 譯/Translated by LU Pei

走向未來

尼斯·斯他比達農達/Nitis Sthapitanonda

路培 譯/Translated by LU Pei

本文對泰國建筑的發展進行了宏觀式的回顧，闡釋了泰國建筑的演變與其所屬社會文化背景之間的關系。在廓清泰國建筑歷史脈絡的同時，提出了影響當今泰國建筑業背后的文化和經濟動因。立足過去與當下，本文試圖在亞洲建筑這一更大的背景下思考泰國建筑的未來。

建筑與文化，建筑歷史，建筑與社會

昨天

由于泰國古代遺跡大多源于公元7世紀左右，泰國建筑的歷史因此可追溯至1000多年以前。人們至今可以看到以磚、石為材料的古代宮殿和神廟的遺跡。

然而，當我們依循時光追溯泰國建筑的歷史，我們發現某些歷史的片段已然不復存在。由于大多數泰國古代建筑均由木材和其他有機材料建成，不足以抵抗歲月的侵蝕。除去石質宮殿和神廟所遺留下來的石頭外，我們缺少一個完整的古代建筑的譜系以供研究或繼承。

外來建筑的影響在泰國建筑的發展和演變過程中扮演了重要的角色。高棉建筑、中國建筑和歐洲建筑都曾在泰國建筑的歷史上留下過各自的印記。眾多各異的建筑風格，從古典、現代、后現代、解構，到當代建筑與熱帶建筑，均可在泰國找見。因此，多樣性一直以來都是泰國文化不可或缺的要素之一，它對泰國當代建筑的影響也是顯而易見的。

為了理解一個國家及其建筑的發展軌跡，我們需要考慮諸多因素。這個國家的核心價值觀是什么？國民性如何？局限又有哪些？在城市規劃與建筑發展的語境下，這些問題經常被忽略。

過去，泰國建筑的理論主要基于宗教與藝術。時至今日，情況已有了較大改變。當代建筑的演進已逐漸圍繞著技術、生活方式和市場展開。宗教、藝術、文化這些構成人類文明的重要組成部分，如今對建筑的影響力已經越來越小。在未來社會的發展中，以經濟為驅動的泰國建筑正陷入岌岌可危的境地。

政治也在泰國社會和其建筑的發展中起著十分關鍵的作用。在泰國，政治動亂已持續了近10年，整個國家都處在壓力之中。創意經濟的發展速度也有所下降。對于當下的泰國人而言，終極問題是“從這里該走向何處”。

今天

當今的泰國是各種社會文化相互作用的混合體。盡管有著較強的農業傳統，泰國不同層次的經濟體依然有賴于自然資源的供給。熱帶氣候為我們帶來充沛的降雨和溫暖的天氣，任何適合熱帶氣候的作物均可以種植。我們有著豐富的土地和水資源；幾乎沒有自然災害；生活成本也比較低。在所有這些條件的共同作用下，形成了泰國人淳樸、樂觀、隨和的性格。除去生活瑣事之外，泰國人愿意在藝術和手工藝上花費時間和精力，也因此成就了泰國藝術與建筑獨一無二的特性。

泰國精致的手工藝加之相對廉價的勞動力成本，使得外國投資者對泰國趨之若鶩。從邏輯上講，泰國是其所處地區（東南亞）的中心，這使得泰國更具吸引力。在魚米之鄉廣闊的田野上，工業化和城市化正如火如荼地進行著。然而，由于深厚的農耕傳統，泰國人的思維方式缺乏系統性。我們習慣于順其自然。我們傳統的房子非常簡單，幾乎像是一座原始棚屋。隨著家庭人口數量的增長，房子也隨之變大。

這種不系統的組織方式體現在諸多方面，從大型的城市規劃到小規模的住宅區規劃，曼谷就是其中一例。由于整座城市里河渠縱橫交錯，曼谷曾被稱作“東方威尼斯”。后來，這些河渠被人為地填成了公路，整座城市的肌理也就自然而然地形成了，但對于今天這樣一個有著800萬人口的城市卻是不適用的。

如果談及泰國的建筑設計，我們的理論曾植根于宗教信仰和自然。然而，從那萊大帝統治期間（1656-1688）外國建筑師進入泰國的時候起，泰國本土的建筑師開始學習西方建筑，事情便隨之有了變化。傳統的理論只適用于傳統建筑，而現當代建筑的理論又多種多樣，如何抓住泰國建筑的實質，一直以來困擾著我們并讓我們為之掙扎。當今的泰國建筑缺乏特性，我們城市的天際線已模糊不清。

明天

東南亞國家聯盟（ASEAN）將于明年開放其領地，允許成員國之間進行某些貨物和服務的自由交易，這樣一來，整個市場將實現10倍的擴充。同時，每個成員國也都將獲得發展的機會，但問題在于“該如何發展”。

首先，我們必須清楚我們是誰？我們有何局限？當我們把這些問題想清楚之后，進步便不難實現了。

對于有著閑散生活方式的泰國建筑師而言，我們習慣做中小尺度的建筑，我們喜歡專注于細節和有著復雜功能的房子，比如，私人住宅、度假酒店、溫泉浴場等。但這并不意味著我們不能做大尺度的項目。泰國建筑中最具吸引力的仍是那些大型的項目，我們同樣可以把這些大型建筑做得很好。然而，現在的問題在于，為了獲得良好的國際聲譽，我們付出了太多努力，從而忘記了我們真實的身份。對于泰國建筑師而言，當務之急是要對“泰國性”一詞的內涵進行集體反思。我們勢必要找回自己的身份，創造屬于這個時代的新泰國魅力。缺失了身份，我們的城市將會淪為一座僅供旅游觀光的文化鬼城；而我們這一代人的不作為將給泰國建筑的歷史帶來無法彌合的文化斷層。□

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

建筑師，Architects 49有限公司副總裁。美國哥倫比亞大學建筑學碩士，佛羅里達大學建筑學學士。/Architect and Deputy Managing Director of Architects 49 Ltd. M.A., Columbia University and B.A., University of Florida, USA

2014-04-26