The Sappaya-Sapasathan ( th, สัปปายะสภาสถาน, , ) is the third and current meeting place of the

National Assembly of Thailand The National Assembly of Thailand ( Abrv: NAT; th, รัฐสภา, , ) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok. The National Assembly was establishe ...

, the bicameral legislative branch of the

Government of Thailand The Government of Thailand, or formally the Royal Thai Government ( Abrv: RTG; th, รัฐบาลไทย, , ), is the unitary government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The country emerged as a modern nation state after the foundation of ...

. It is located on the left bank of the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

Kiakkai Kiakkai or Kiak Kai ( th, เกียกกาย, ) is an intersection and neighbourhood in Bangkok's Thanon Nakhon Chai Si Subdistrict, Dusit District. The term ''Kiakkai'' is an old Thai word meaning "Provisions Department" (comparable to ...

neighbourhood of the Dusit District. It is the world's largest parliament building with 424,000 m² of floor space.

History

The parliament has changed its venue several times. Its first site was

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( th, พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace in ...

, used from 1933 until 1974. It then moved to the

Parliament House of Thailand The Parliament House of Thailand ( th, อาคารรัฐสภาไทย) was a building which housed the National Assembly, the legislative branch of the Government of Thailand from 1974 to 2018. The legislature is a bicameral body, con ...

, but the building was soon outgrown. In 2008, three sites were considered for a new building. They were the Dusit District, the

Mueang Nonthaburi District Mueang Nonthaburi ( th, เมืองนนทบุรี, , ) is the capital district ('' amphoe mueang'') of Nonthaburi province in Thailand. The city of Nonthaburi has 267,001 inhabitants, while the whole district has 348,553. History The ...

, and the

Khlong Toei District Khlong Toei (also Klong Toey, th, คลองเตย, ) is a district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong T ...

. The Dusit District was chosen by the

Samak Sundaravej Samak Sundaravej ( th, สมัคร สุนทรเวช, , ; 13 June 1935 – 24 November 2009) was a Thai politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the Peo ...

government.

Name

There are slightly different interpretations of the building's name. The title of the winning design was ''Sappaya Sapha Sathan''. The architects who submitted it said that the Buddhist term ''sappaya'' means "comfortable in

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

", and the title is supposed to mean "a place for doing good deeds or good karma". The building's design was inspired by a classic Thai Buddhist tale, ''Trai Bhum Phra Ruang'', and was made to look like a temple as a reminder to officials of "

Thainess Thainess or the Thai identity ( th, ความเป็นไทย, ) is a conceptual identity regarding the quality of being Thai, i.e. characteristics seen as distinctive to the Thai people, their culture, and those belonging to Thailand as a ...

" and morality, making it truly a ''Sappaya Sapasathan'', "peaceful parliament". ''Sappaya-Sapasathan'' is a word combination with ''sappaya'' or the ''seven of Sappaya'', meaning "comfortable", "conducive conditions", "supportive", and the "right thing"; and the word ''sapasathan'', meaning "council of the peaceful".

Design

The Sappaya-Sapasathan design by a team led by Theerapol Niyom was the winner in a new parliament building design competition. Built to provide more than 424,000 m² of floor space, at a budget of approximately 23 billion

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...

,Environmental Impact Assessment (summary version for the executives)
The Secretariat of the House of Representatives. April 2011 it can accommodate more than 5,000 people and parking for 2,000 cars. Its main features are a Thai pagoda in the center of the building, Suriyan Hall (Hall of the Sun) for House of Representative, Chantra Hall (Hall of the Moon) for Senate, and the use of 5,018

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

trees as they represent the " DNA of Thailand". It also houses museums, a convention center, a seminar room, a banquet hall, and offices. The design has been criticised for being "religious architecture", embracing "elements of Buddhist and Hindu cosmology".

Construction

The new parliament building, after significant delays, is due to be inaugurated in late 2020. It was contracted for in 2013 and was scheduled to be opened in 2015. It sits on a bank of the

neighbourhood of the Thanon Nakhon Chai Si Subdistrict, Dusit District, occupying 300,000 m² of land. The site of the previous parliament building was returned to its owner, the

Bureau of the Royal Household The Bureau of the Royal Household (BRH) ( th, สำนักพระราชวัง) is an agency of the monarchy of Thailand. In addition to a range of administrative and ceremonial responsibilities, the bureau also serves as a conduit for ...

, at the end of 2018. Construction of the new building has been delayed for four years. The project budget has ballooned from 14 billion

to 23 billion baht. Parliament has levied no penalties on the developer for missing the deadline. As the land where the old parliament building sits was already returned to the

Crown Property Bureau The Crown Property Bureau (CPB) ( th, สำนักงานทรัพย์สินพระมหากษัตริย์; ) is legally the administrative agency responsible for managing the property of the King of Thailand. It has no ...

, Parliament met in an auditorium rented from telecom firm TOT at a cost of 11 million baht per month from May 2019. Since August 2019, Parliament now meets in Sappaya-Sapasathan, although parts of the building remain unfinished.

References

External links