Daylighting of the Bangkok townhouse : facade design and spatial improvement guidelines

Bangkok's dramatic growth in the last three decades has brought with it a wide range of urban problems - economic, architectural, environmental, and social. One problem has been a demand for a new dwelling and work spaces. The Bangkok townhouse has served to meet both needs, but the forms it has taken thus far leaves needs improvement.This creative project proposes improvements to the Bangkok townhouses to make it more responsive to its environment as well as interior functions. The improvements focus on facades, reorganization of interior spaces, and physical townhouse elements. The study uses a typological and environmental study to understand and investigate examples of existing Bangkok townhouses. This includes case study analyses to suggest daylighting design strategies for design applications.This study proposes a facade design guideline and a set of physical arrangement suggestions for enhancing the daylight, ventilation, and accommodation capacity of the Bangkok townhouses. In addition, potential applications of the facade guidelines are illustrated. The facade and physical arrangement guidelines can be a fundamental concept for further development and improvement of the Bangkok and other townhouses in locations throughout Thailand.Department of ArchitectureThesis (M. Arch.