Historical western and political influences on the architecture: Of Thailand's Chiang Mai courthouses

Abstract

The Chiang Mai courthouse is a significant building constructed in the Western architectural style. This research aims to investigate the origins of the Western-style design of this courthouse. The building features the triumphal arch element popular during the reign of King Rama VI (particularly in Bangkok). The architect who designed the building combined modern architecture with classical Western styles. The Chiang Mai courthouse came to represent the central government in Bangkok, whereby the building lost its connection with the traditional context of the Kingdom of Lanna, which ruled northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. However, the building became a symbol of the power that came to control and unify Chiang Mai as a province of Siam.