Abstract:
The study on Vernacular Architecture of the Communities around Samkok Pottery Oven based on the fact that this place is a highly significant Monument of the communities in Patumthani Province. Historically study on relation to this long deserted place- Samkok Pottery Oven and the communities around it, revealed that the migration of ethnic Mon people from Burma happened around Mid-Ayuddhaya Period or the beginning of Rattanakosin Period. In the old days these ethnic Mon lead their lives as pottery craftmen, but nowadays they do not earn their living on that craft anymore except for the faraway Mon settlement in Koa Kred, Nontaburi Province. Architectural features are selected to study comparatively on three different groups of Mon community houses: a traditional Thai-styled house, an adapted Thai- styled House and a bamboo-thatched one. Three communities around Samkok Pottery Oven chosen to be studied are Wat Singha community, Wat Jan-kapor community and Wat Chedi Tong community, Amphur Samkok, Patumtani Province. It is founded that the majority of Houses are favourably built as stilt houses. The more older built houses are Situated closer to the river than the younger expanded ones which are usually near canals or main routes in the present time. Architectural constituent layout of three different types of houses are quite similar. Those are of elevated or stilt houses with open space beneath. The main Layout of the house is erected at right angle. The facing aspect to the river or a route is the narrow part of the house. Every single house is composed of three main components: living area, all-purposed veranda, and cooking area. In traditional Thai-styled house, living area is designated as a main structure Typically with high gable-roof and an attached veranda. Cooking area is backwards away, angled to the main structure while an adapted Thai-styled house and a Bamboo-thatched house, living area, all-purposed veranda and cooking area are all under one roof. The study on constituent building on aspect of wall is founded that traditional Thai-styled houses are in favour with decorated panels for the main structure. But, Adapted Thai-styled houses are inclined to favour tiers of paneling alignment on Wall, thus renders the feeling of space and security as well. As regards cooking area wall, it is either done in batten wall or having several corrugated iron window panes with wooden support to fling the windows open so as to help rapid dispersing of cooking vapour. Thai-styled houses normally have constituent roofs in accordance with Central Thai-Styles houses. On aspects of gables, cornices and gable-boards; the slope of roofs will not be so high in degrees; gables with tiers of planks are chiefly favourable. Nevertheless, roofs of applied Thai-styled houses are often made in less degrees of slope. Roof tiling is mostly used small curved cement tiles or corrugated iron sheets. Thus has been adapted from using thatches, terra-cotta tiles or plain cement Tiles for roofing as those afore mentioned materials are scarce now when repairing Is needed. The single thatched roof house we found still uses thatches for roofing, having Thai-styled gable decorated with fish-tailed gable-board. As a result of this analysis, we can conclude that features of Vernacular Architecture of the Communities around Samkok Pottery Oven are quite similar in pattern of Constituent layout of the building, especially in laying out the main structure in a manner of cutting across the river. It is so proper for Mon people to be named "Mon Kwang" for a long time. Actually, the name is derived from the odd manner of building their houses across to the river. On regards to its appearance and constituent building, it was designed to suit well to actual application and trend in using construction materials at the time. It is considered that the specific element that should be preserved is the harmonious living with environment by elevating the house and mainly using the floor space.