The Thai “Shophouse’: A Hybrid, Urban, and Contemporary Typology

Abstract

The term ‘shophouse’ refers to the commercial row housing that has been the most characteristic architectural typology of Southeast Asian cities. These buildings constituted the spatial framework for the mercantile activity of the colonial ports, becoming an integral element of the collective memory and cultural heritage of the nations that emerged after the postwar decolonization process. Having fallen out of public favour in the late 20th century, most of Thailand's modern shophouses survive today covered by an amalgamation of illegal structures and caged windows, presenting severe salubrity and fire safety concerns. However, contemporary architectural practice now offers updated re-interpretations of this building type. These interventions are studied in the light of the postcolonial notion of 'critical vernacularism' while taking into account its hybrid nature and transnational origin, vindicating the validity of the shophouse type in modern Thailand.