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dc.contributor.authorPengpala, Aphiwat
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-18T19:34:11Z
dc.date.available2016-08-18T19:34:11Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10652/3541
dc.description.abstractThis research focuses on bringing attention to the importance of water and its management to my village, Ban Thang Khwang, in northeast Thailand. On a trip home in 2014 I noticed a huge contrast between the poor condition of the village water, its outdated infrastructure and the less-vital, yet popular, technologies of smart phones, computers, and televisions with satellite receivers that were seen everywhere . This flat and arid region relies heavily on agricultural production, yet there is a major shortage of water. Ban Thang Khwang’s existing sources include a community pond and roof collection, but the water is not safe for human consumption, which means the villagers must rely on bottled water for drinking. In the past, governmental parties have proposed large-scale water projects full of good intentions for the northeast region. However, many of these never materialised and those, which did, often had damaging ecological consequences. The Thai people’s relationship with water goes beyond being a vital resource. It is fundamental to our cultural, traditional, social, and spiritual beliefs. Water-related festivals ask for rain, pay respect to one another, give thanks for water, and even include rituals, which apologise for polluting it. Yet, during and after the festivals, we continue to pollute and waste our most precious resource. Needless to say plentiful clean water would benefit Ban Thang Khwang’s health and economy. During my research Thai water-related festivals and the daily activities of general village family members were analysed through the concepts of Bernard Tschumi’s “No architecture without an event” and Lawrence Halprin’s “Motation” recording method. This analysis of the village was overlaid with a natural and mechanical water treatment process. These physical and metaphorical intersections determined the location and program of a series of architectural interventions to bring attention to water. At the village’s two major intersections, medium-scaled building designs were developed. A house for the family that maintains the school and the adjacent community water treatment facility, used cultural values and water cleanliness hierarchy to determine the spatial configuration. The second building, an internet café was located at the intersection of a festival route and a frequently travelled route by young people through the village. The ritual path overlaid with the contemporary programs of the internet cafe brings together the ‘everyday’ with a suggestive and performative architecture that values and heightens the significance of water to Thai culture. This project uses Thai culture, values and village custom to determine the nature and location of the architectural interventions with modern techniques to improve water supply. The architecture seeks to embed the critical significance of water in the everyday life of the Ban Thang Khwang village.en_NZ
dc.language.isoenen_NZ
dc.rightsAll rights reserveden_NZ
dc.subjectBan Thang Khwang (Thailand)en_NZ
dc.subjectThailanden_NZ
dc.subjectSongkran (Thai Water Festival)en_NZ
dc.subjectwater festivalsen_NZ
dc.subjectwater scarcityen_NZ
dc.subjectwater in architectureen_NZ
dc.subjectpublic healthen_NZ
dc.titleWater you know? : an architectural research project exploring how cultural and spiritual values attached to water can be used to bring attention to water management. The water scarcity situation in the rural Thai village, Ban Thang Khwang, is the test caseen_NZ
dc.typeMasters Thesisen_NZ
dc.rights.holderAuthoren_NZ
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Architecture (Professional)en_NZ
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_NZ
thesis.degree.grantorUnitec Institute of Technologyen_NZ
dc.subject.marsden200202 Asian Cultural Studiesen_NZ
dc.subject.marsden120199 Architecture not elsewhere classifieden_NZ
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationPengpala, A. (2015). Water you know?: An architectural research project exploring how cultural and spiritual values attached to water can be used to bring attention to water management. The water scarcity situation in the rural Thai village, Ban Thang Khwang, is the test case. A Research Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture Professional, Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand.en_NZ
unitec.pages149en_NZ
unitec.institutionUnitec Institute of Technologyen_NZ
dc.contributor.affiliationUnitec Institute of Technologyen_NZ
unitec.institution.studyareaArchitecture
dc.identifier.wikidataQ112167466


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