About
Department of Architecture

The Department of Architecture is committed to educating scholars and professionals to approach architecture and its allied disciplines with intellect, imagination and attentiveness to the environmental, cultural, economic and social interrelationships that generate the built environment. The school works to achieve this by pursuing excellence in teaching; innovation in research; a dedication towards the preservation of Thailand artistic traditions; and an engagement with the communities in which we work.Students at all degree levels pursue a course of study enriched by a rotation of disciplines complementary to the practice of architecture, including environmental science, materials science, engineering, and construction. Competence in the technics of architecture is balanced by the cultivation of adaptive problem solving, diverse aesthetic perspectives, and fluency in both local and global discourses. Foremost among the department objectives is the encouragement of intellectual growth beyond academics. We stress leadership, accountability and respect in action and dialogue and promote civic participation as a duty of the architectural professions.

Architectural education in Thailand was pioneered by Professor Nart Potiprasart who, after completing architectural studies at the University of Liverpool on a Thai government scholarship, returned to Thailand to accept a civil service position as Professor in trade and technical studies in 1930. He piloted a 2-year architecture program that enrolled approximately 30 students in its inaugural year. Persuaded by the programs success, the Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs directed that the program be reassigned to Chulalongkorn University in 1932.

The program, now housed within Chulalongkorn University, was originally organized to be one of two departments within the Faculty of Engineering but the distinctive curricula and objectives of an architectural education argued for its independence from the discipline of engineering. Having achieved greater autonomy, the department relocated to facilities on loan from the Ministry of Fine Arts. The first cohort to complete the 3-year diploma in architecture in 1935 consisted of 11 students.

In 1939 the University formally recognized the Faculty of Architecture with the authority to award degrees for a 5-year course of study in architecture. In 1943, the Faculty was subdivided into the departments of architecture, fine and applied arts and urban planning, with the latter two disciplines occupying a supporting position to the core of architectural education. Over time these disciplines developed into comprehensive programs granting separate degrees.