A quick little jaunt through Thailand for two weeks resulted in me being fascinated by all the various manifestations of their residential architecture. I'm a big fan of three and four story apartment blocks and think they hit the sweet spot for urban density. This was definitely on display in Bangkok, perhaps too much so. But my lord does it allow for constant stops to eat more street food. One thinks they can mentally prepare for the constant noise and movement of this place but really, you have no hope. None at all. You just have to grin and bear it and try to keep up and not get run over.
I got the impression that there was a huge building boom during the seventies as Bangkok urbanised and people moved to the city, but I'm too lazy to do any research to back up that claim. But I do love the rot that set in on most of these buildings as the constant humidity and 35 degree heat just went to town on the concrete boxes. There's a constant adaptation to these structures with exposed wiring, patched walls and the ever present airconditioners that over ride the initial intention of the architects. Static modernism had a stab at this place but Bangkok just ate it up. There's lots of new high rise buildings going up throughout the place which I'm sure are bound to remain clean, but these didn't seem to have much regional flavour and thus aren't worthy of study. They don't seem to add much to the street level either, with their closed off walls, security guards and driveways. These on the other hand, contribute immensely to the liveability of the place.
