Thesis Book 2018 - Buddhism, Place and Play

BUDDHISM

PLACE P LAY

by Krongkanok Harnsongkram

Contents

01 Program

25 Cards of Gods

03 Religion & Culture

29 Sequencing Rituals

05 True Buddhism

31 Temple Rituals

07 Programmatic Wheel

33 Site Axonometric

09 Programmatic Wheel ll

35 Site Section I

11 The Social Threshold

37 Site Section II

13 Probe Reflection

39 Meditation Space

15 Evolution of Wat Arun Wanaram

45 Main Ritual Space

17 Temple Puzzle

51 Buddha Pavilion

19 Re-Centralizing Temples

57 Presentation

21 Wintersession Reflection

59 Bibliography

23 Ratchadamri Intersection

Contents

01 Site

25 Erawan Shrine

03 Place & Behavior

27 Shrine Puzzle

05 Place & Behavior ll

29 Wat Arun Wanaram

07 Replacing Temples

31 Temple Roof Structure

09 From Center to Margin

33 Site Plan & Diagram

11 The Social Threshold

35 Site Section I

13 Probe Reflection

37 Site Section II

15 Finding the Relationship

39 Meditation Space

17 Shrine vs Temple

45 Main Ritual Space

19 Re-Centralizing Temples

51 Buddha Pavilion

21 Wintersession Reflection

57 Presentation

23 Ratchadamri Intersection

59 Bibliography

Program

A unique aesthetic creates an impression but a program creates an experience.

A program is a performance of how the users use a space as well as how they interact with each other within that space.

A dance between people and space, a sequence of steps derived from the relationship between each interlude and how they perform together. The director chooses a story that would appeal to a target audience and lays out every step of how the story should be told; from beginning to end; from how the dancers enter the stage, how they move about on the stage and how they exit the stage. However, the audience still has the freedom to re-interpret the story into their own. Consequently, the audience informs the story; and the story informs the performance.

A residential performance would entail a more conventional sequence of programs, from public to private.

The function of a house is for people to live in, and its purpose is to make people feel comfortable and safe.

Therefore, a public space such as a living room would be closer to the front door than a more private space such as a bedroom, which is usually placed further into the house or on the second floor for safety and privacy.

A performance for a museum has a more flexible sequence since most of the programs are public. In that case, the program reflects directly onto the content, which is the story, and the story of the space is sequential. For example, the audience would be able to experience the change in time if the artworks are arranged in chronological order, making them walk through the space from one era to another.

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Site

There are two definitions of a site that exist simultaneously.

One is a physical land that simply shows the measurement and extent of the property. It shows the physical condition of the space, giving common logistics and methodology to where the design can be placed.

Another definition is an ephemeral site that is part of a bigger network. This site is an evidence of a specific issue one is looking at; social, physical, economic, historical or political.

Therefore, in this case, the subject to explore is the relationship between the inside and outside of the site.

The design process can start with a site or end up with a site.

The location of the site is important because it interrupts a bigger network, whether it is on the margin or the center of the city; or maybe it is the center of one but on the margin of the other. What is the relationship between those two locations? How do they serve the community differently? Placing it on the margin or center sets a different program to the design. Understanding the bigger network helps one creates a better-fitted program serving the user and the community around it.

If the site is the center, it indicates that the design would be center of attention; the environment will be chaotic and it will have higher number of various users. On the other hand, if the site is on the margin, it implies that the design will serve a very specific purpose; it will be among smaller communities with more specific users.

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Religion & Culture

How do Thai people associate the Buddhist religion with their own culture?

In Thailand, it is common tradition for children to be named by local monks. In this case, my name was given to me by the head monk of Wat Rama 9. Derived from Bali Sankrit, the language of the Buddha; “Krong” meaning bracelet and “Kanok” meaning gold, together “Krongkanok” refers to a golden bracelet. A symbol for merit in Buddhism that helps one traverse obstacles.

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Place & Behavior

Thai sarongs and shirts are given out at the entrance of most royal temples to visitors who dress inappropriately to cover up. The act of putting on the sarong gives the consciousness of where you are and reminds you to behave with the proper etiquette required for the sacred space.

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True Buddhism

How is Buddhism perceived in Thailand today? What are the real layers of principles of Buddhism?

In early Thailand, people believed in Brahms and Hindu. They worshiped many idols and were strongly superstitious. Later when Buddhism entered, these prior beliefs created conflicts with the Buddha’s teaching. However, some of those beliefs are still hidden in Thai culture today, which causes many misunderstandings in the true Buddhism principles.

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Place & Behavior ll

How does one’s behavior affected by social constraints impose on the public spaces?

The intricate Thai pattern drawn on the clear box indicates the social constraints in the temple. People do not feel the physical constraints in the space but it is common knowledge to behave with proper etiquette. In some temples, pictures, hat, sunglasses, flipflop, shorts, tank tops are not allowed.

Running and making loud noise are also forbidden.

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Programmatic Wheel

How can new programs be invented through studying of the existing users of the temples?

Temple buildings have fixed area with specific programs, which together they create a traditional space everyone is familiar with.

However, activities in the temples are still fairly separated between users, forming hard boundaries between areas. By studying the different users’ lifestyle, the intersection between their daily activities, there can emerge new potential programs for the spaces. For example, sports/ socialize/chores can generate a charity event to help clean up the temples. Last relax/sleep/visi-

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tors can even introduce a hotel into the temple.

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Replacing Temples

Is there an ideal location for a temple in a city?

In Bangkok, next to a famous mall is Wat Pratum Wanaram, a local temple built in the 1800s. The two buildings are connected by a sky bridge, which seems odd because they are so disconnected. Cities used to be built around temples because they were the community center for all events. However more recently, all activities have moved to the malls, so can we say malls have replaced temples? If so, how do we replace malls back with temples? Or can we even find a place in the city for the temple again?

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Programmatic Wheel ll

What quality is traditional? And what are the contemporary activities for children?

This device can be used as a tool to re-invent new programs for chilldren in a religious space.

One wheel represents traditional Buddhist activities and another represents contemporary activities that children are engaged with. The green area in between the wheels suggest potential programs, negotiating between what is tradition and what is contemporary.

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From Center to Margin

Where will temples stand in the future? How would people’s perception of the temples change? How can we move forward without completely losing the identity of the city?

This object illustrates different stages in time, showing the change in location of the temples, from centralized to marginalize due the growth of the city. The continuous loop of the object shows the constant process of building a city that always starts with a temple.

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The Social Threshold

It is common knowledge for people to behave with proper etiquette once you enter a temple.

Dressing with shorts or tank tops would be considered inappropriate and disrespectful to the religion.

Buddhism is the backbone of Thai culture and tradition. But nowadays, young people are less engaged in Buddhism than in the past. I want to explore the disconnection between the new contemporary generation of children and the preset traditional religious norms. How do young people engage with existing temples today? Where are the moments of friction and integration between Buddhism, place, and

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play?

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The Social Threshold

How does one’s behavior affected by the social constraints in a temple?

Here, I tried to mimic some of the moments in a temple that I experienced. When people enter the space, they are automatically wrapped around fabric so they would dress appropriately at all times. The mirror is there for people to be aware of their behavior in the space and the objects on the shelves represent the environment in the temple. There are two entrances, one for kids and another for adult. I want to explore how they may interact with each other or how they may act differently in that space.

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Reflection

The probe illustrates the conditions that occur at the threshold and in the space itself. People became engaged with the probe while they enter and get wrapped around with the fabric.

The physical transformation from outside to inside is the key moment that needs to be further explored and will be the main force that drives the project forward.

Through exploring the sequential relationships between adults and children, what are the problems and what are the causes? How can this problem be solved in the architectural world?

How can we build a threshold that transforms the user? Or how can we create a design so that the two users become one, a design in which children and adults are equally engaged at all times?

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Reflection

The iconography of the temples is less relevant to the engagement of children. They learn and develop through play. Does play have an architectural presence? What are the forms of architecture that will allow children to re-engage with the temple and with adults?

Next step would be questioning children in their process of learning and playing. Why are children less engaged in Buddhism than in the past? The probe seems to answer this question on the convenience issue very literally since the probe would dress the children automatically as they walk in. However, the probe still has not answered the question in a cultural or generational context.

Lastly, a big question still remains, what is the site of the project? Is it an old temple, new temple, or neither?

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Evolution of Wat

What is essential to make a temple?

Arun Wanaram

I drew out Wat Arun Wanaram at different time to understand how it developed from being a general temple to be one of the most well known royal temple today. This temple is an evidence that temples represent growth, wealth and Ppwer of a city. Many buildings were renovated and re decorated to illustrate the status of the city at different times.

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Finding the Relationship

What are the relationship between temples and the rest of the city?

This map helps me delayers all elements and complexity that happens in Bangkok. By separating them into layer, I can pick and choose layers to understand their relationship. For example, I see a clear connection between malls and sky train, as well as temples and the Chao Phraya river.

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Temple Puzzle

What are the different types of temples? and what is in it?

This model is a puzzle to construct temples by placing paper buildings into a precut slot. This model contains all types of temples, from a general temple up to royal temple. Every pieces can be taken apart including the ground. The smallest ground piece represents the smallest temple space, and one all piece are put together, the whole model shows the main royal temple with every building elements.

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Shrine Vs Temple

What are the different types of sacred space in Bangkok?

I made two videos, one showing the atmosphere to walk on the sky walk in the center of Bangkok surrounded by malls and markets, and another showing a greater number of people visiting Erawan Shrine and a very low number of people at Wat Pathum which is in the same area.

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Re-Centralizing Temples I drew out my own version of Bangkok through lines and colors. I tried to include all aspects of the city from life on the road, markets and shopping malls, showing the chaos and charms that exist within the city.

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Re- Centralizing Temples Since the city has shifted its center towards malls and sky train. I connect the 9 main temples of Bangkok through train track to re-centralize the temples.

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Reflection

The two videos illustrate different type of Buddhist space in central Bangkok, Erawan Shrine and Pathum Temple, in which the shrine has a large number of visitors while the temple has very little. Why do people go to the shrine and not the temple? I always assume it is because of the fame and reputation of the shrine, but my next step now would be actually analyzing the differences between the two spaces.

I need to understand how the two spaces operate and how they create different territory for Buddhism in the city. A three dimensional analysis will help me explore activities that exist in the space.

Are temples being replaced? Hybrid program would be one of the possibilities for my final since I have learnt that people have other type of religious space to go to. Since I am focusing on children, the idea of play in relationship to Buddhism is still my solution. What kind of toys are children attracted to?

Craft appearance and operation of the toys are very important. The puzzle I made may appear too much like a temple.

Looking back at my research on people’s behavior and preparation before entering a sacred space, I can make toys that would help children explore some rituals and activities of the sacred space rather than representing the temple as it is. It can teach children about the social threshold, and the moment of preparation before entering the sacred space.

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Reflection

The toys can also help identify the moments where kids can play the way they usually do, and the moments where they need silence and self-reflection. What does it mean to design this social threshold between profane space of the city that is the space of play, and the sacred space?

These questions lead to a different direction I can take. Why try to redesign a mall or a temple when we can bring the temple to our homes through design of toys. I need to distill what it means to practice Buddhism, such as contemplation, praying etc. and apply it into toy design.

If I am taking this route of designing toy, I also need to think about what can architecture do in this situation? How is it not just marketing? How can architecture connect things that are on the surface appears to be different than it actually is. I can explore ways that toys are territorialized in space and how I can design the reconfiguration of the space. The toy/game can represent the space one-way and I can design a temple spatial scenario that responds to the game.

I still need to work at different scale of operation; from urban scale exploring how I can redirect people and make temples the center through infrastructure? down to the smallest scale such as toys.

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Ratchadamri

Intersection

Here, I am trying to capture the busy and chaotic atmosphere of this intersection which is the center of Bangkok. Within the area, there are 9 of the most popular shrines all around the city. I want to display the coexistence of the sacred space and the commercial malls and market in the intersection.

These shrines are as busy as all the malls surrounding them.

Before Buddhism entered Thailand, Thai people believed in Hindu and Bhrams. Nowadays, many Thai people still misunderstood some part of those religions to be a part of Buddhist tradition including these shrine, in which they are actually Hindu Gods.

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Ratchadamri

Intersection

From my research, there is one temple, “Wat Pathum Wanaram� in this shopping area which is not very popular to Thai people. Even though this temple is in the center/main intersection of Bangkok, people only go to this area for all of the 10 or more shopping malls in the area. This image illustrates the surroundings malls and shrines along side with how many people visit each shrine. But this image clearly shows how very few people visits the temple. This temple then became my site since I want to take advantage of the amount of people visiting the area and use this site to re-centralize temples again.

I made this axon rotatable to emphasize that how this intersection is growing in all direction. Moreover, I want this drawing to be interactive with the viewer.

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Cards of Gods

In these card game, I am trying to explore and understand different types of Hindu gods that exist in the Ratchadamri Intersection. Player would need to pull out the inside card to read information on each God. The envelop of the card is made out of vellum and cardboard backing. The vellum allows the player to see through to the inside card which contain the colors of each elements of the gods. This action of pulling out the card will create a moment of surprise when the player realized that the card is made out of 2 layers.

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Erawan Shrine

I am trying to study popular religious space to understand why they have more visitors than other. This is a 90 degree shear plan axonometric of Erawan Shrine in Ratchadamri intersection. There are only 4 programs happening within the space; praying to the Erawan God, washing hands with holy water, performance area and offerings shop. Erawan God, known as the four face god, is believed to give good luck in terms of romance, work , health and money if you pray correctly; starting from the North face then go clockwise.

The space itself is very compact but every program is very clear to the visitors and the space is very well organized, making the rituals very easy to follow.

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Cards of Gods

Each card contain information on each gods such as how to pray and what are their stories. Each god has two cards, so the game is to find a matching card of god to find out his/her full information. There are 9 pairs of cards and the backing had the same pattern.

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Shrine Puzzle

This puzzle is an additional piece to the Erawan Shrine drawing. I break down each element in the shrine and make them detachable. This way, the user would able to understand the space better in terms of its organization, spacing and scale. The floor is also detachable to reveal the zoning of the Shrine, which are the Erawan Statue, Holy water and the performance area. The overall space is public but the Erawan statue has a protective fence around it and people are not allowed in the performance area.

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Sequencing Rituals

I made this board game to take visitors through sequence of rituals in the temple. For example, one would be most likely to pray to the main Buddha statue first before going to visit the monks. Some of these activities include feeding and freeing animals, pray to the Buddha, give offerings to the monks, pray and receive holy water etc.

The sequence is based off of my own research and experience so it is flexible depending on different people. I find this board game to be an easier approach for children to understand different activities that goes on in a temple.

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Wat Pathum Wanaram

After I did the first Sequencing Rituals board game, I applied that sequence into my real site which is Wat Pathum Wanaram. I mapped out the existing structure on a grid and re-apply new paths that I designed. I am making the best use of the existing buildings and zoning to organize my project.

I included a few shortcuts from one building to another to increase the relationship between each program/rituals. Right now, the temple is full of blank open spaces but I am refining it in to direct paths to guide people from one place to another from this board game.

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Temple Rituals

These cards contains two layers of acetate, one with the tradition rituals and one with the new possible program. I made a silhouette of a person performing different rituals in a temple, then I overlay a possible new environment to the silhouette that can differ the program in which the person is performing, even though it is still the same action. The new programs are “play�; programs that requires the same movement as the traditional rituals but make children have fun.

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Temple Roof Structure

These are some study models of the temple’s roof structure.

The whole structure is usually a timber structure and in these models, the wire represents the joist and wood are the columns. I made one model as a representation for the Temple roof structure today and I made some alterations to the shape and form of the roof, trying to keep the iconic image of a temple in my design.

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Site Axonometric

Going back to board games, I re-adjusted the sequence and paths into this site plan. I kept the exterior of the buildings the same for now but started to design from inside out. I used the action of performing each rituals to push and pull the interior space and re-adjust the spacings. This site axonometric illustrates many different programs around the sites which includes feeding animals, amphitheater, laymen and monks’ houses, doctrine library, meditation space, Buddha pavilion, main ritual space and public parks. The Laymen and monks houses are on little mounds since they need more privacy to meditate and practice, but the layout still allows them to feel like a part of the community; My goal is to make temples comfortable and break down that social threshold so Buddhism can be easily accessible fro everyone.

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ROAD MAIN CIRCULATION SECONDARY PATH LOOSE PEBBLES WATER PUBLIC SEMI-PUBLIC PRIVATE BUILDINGS

Site Plan

I separate the paths into main paths and secondary paths with loose pebbles on the side. The main paths connect the main buildings together and the secondary paths are mainly for meditative and spiritual walk. When I design the buildings, I am making these paths a part if the buildings. Therefore, the buildings are not interruptions of the paths but are elements of the paths. I am treating the Chedi in the middle as a sculpture, so the paths go up and around it for visitors to get a good look at the architecture. Its round/pointy shape and color is the iconic image of a Thai temple other than the red pitch roof.

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Meditation Space

In Buddhism, meditation can be in the form of walking or sitting. I designed this space in a way that the visitors and anyone who is walking through has a one continuous path from any direction. The different levels on the ground allows users to go up and down a step but never more. There are no resting points because that would also interrupt the meditative walk. The roof can also be occupied and are consist of steps going up and down connecting the outer paths around the site. I also intend for the interior to incorporate many level changes in landscape of the site into its design, replicating mounds that can be seen around the site. The color of the roof is kept the same to maintain the color scheme of the temple; red yellow and blue.

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MEDITATION SPACE SECTION

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Main Ritual Space

My main idea for this building is to enhance interaction between laypeople and monks. This main ritual space consist of many programs such as giving offerings to the monks, praying with holy water, or just discussing the religion. We believe that laypeople cannot stand over or be higher than the monks, therefore the red platform for the monks are a step higher than the lay people’s seating. I connected the path in the middle so everyone can walk through the building making every rituals more public and open up for more contribution.

The zigzag floor plan is to allow lay people to interact with more than one monk at a time to building a stronger connection and bond between them. The second floor balcony connects visitors to the main Chedi sculpture which is the iconic image of any Thai temple around the country.

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Buddha Pavilion

The main program for this building is to pray to the main Buddha statue. Since I am trying to break down the social threshold of the temple, I am trying to make any restrictions in the temple fun for any visitors. We need to stay lower than the Buddha at all times, so usually visitors have to crawl to get close and pray. I made the roof slant down as people have to go lower while the Buddha statue stay high in the glass box, extruding to the outside, allowing natural light to shine through. The different level curtains makes children want to crawl and also add an element of surprise when they finally reach the Buddha. The roof of the Buddha pavilion is also occupiable but it only allows people to walk on the side of the Buddha but never over his head.

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BUDDHA PAVILION SECTION

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