2004 Volume 69 Issue 586 Pages 1-8
Shophouses of Ratanakosin, as its name suggests, are bi-functional buildings, one of them is commercial and the other is living. Variations of shophouse spatial organization are found in composition of their elements such as open court, stair, toilet and backlane. However, at the first stage of construction, shophouses of the same group generally had same patterns of spatial organization but later underwent changes depending on usage patterns. Finally, their spatial organization transformed into various types regardless of their origin and spatail articulation. Purpose of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of the spatial organization of shophouses. Three blocks of shophouse from three main landholdings, namely temple; Bureau of the Crown Property; and, the private sector have been selected as objects of study. A comparative study is carried out to determine the similarities and differences in their transformation process. Finally, the relationship between Building Code and transformation in shophouse will be discussed.
