The Development of Modern Landscape Architecture in Thailand

Abstract

The profession of landscape architecture has been firmly established in Thailand and has continued to flourish for over 40 years. Throughout this time, landscape architecture has made important contributions in improving environments, the people’s quality of life, and the aesthetics of Thailand’s cities and communities. This research discusses the development of the landscape architecture profession and design concepts in Thailand from the beginning to present to understand how landscape architecture has been cultivated through the processes of adaptation and appropriation.  The major contents of this research were obtained from the analysis of interviews conducted with 20 practitioners of landscape architecture firms in Thailand. The topics of discussion include multiple factors affecting the concepts, styles, and typologies of landscape architectural design.  The results show that landscape architecture in Thailand has developed in parallel with global design trends since the beginning of this profession. However, contextual factors, particularly socio-economic, political, and environmental issues, also affected the variation of project types and detailed designs. These trends and factors help foster the richness of landscape architecture in Thailand.