Research & Article

The presence of historical architecture in an urban heritage area supports the district’s strong identity. Current approaches of urban conservation have moved away from the preservation of traditional architecture alone. Development of new real estate projects can be based on characteristics of historical architecture to attain added cultural and economic values. Nevertheless, designing new buildings in an old urban center requires a great understanding of the relationship between architecture and the city. This paper investigates architectural identity in urban heritage area by choosing Yaowaraj Road in Bangkok as a case study.

The method of study comprises of literature review and field survey while the conceptual framework is formulated to study the relationship between urban and architectural characteristics. On the first issue, this includes the study of the district’s morphology and mental image. For the latter, architectural type, use, style, and sign are considered essential. From the analysis, it is found that there are correlations between buildings’architectural identities and morphological structure of Yaowaraj Road formed as pattern of intricate urban blocks and interlaced network of main road and alleys. Small buildings are found aligned in row supporting and intensifying commercial activities on the ground while having upper floors for private uses. Architectural styles vary greatly according to different historical periods and types of business. Last of all, symbolic features to communicate Chinese identity additionally contribute to the district’s uniqueness. It can be argued that these correlations collectively appear as specific elements of Yaowaraj’s mental image perceived by people. The study’s result is a guideline on designing buildings that express architectural identities correlated with the urban heritage characteristics of Bangkok’s Chinatown.