Abstract

This article is a study of Vernacular houses that exist in the Pak Phanang River Basin, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The area is located on the East coast of Southern Thailand. The purpose is to study the settlement of the community and the architectural styles of Vernacular houses related to the natural environment. By conducing a Vernacular house survey and collecting data in the sample area, this paper examines the lifestyle of villagers in the community and local natural resources in the region. It present the vernacular house characteristics created by the villagers' employing their wisdom to create an architecture for settlement and living with the environment in the coastal basin area appropriately. The paper uncovers that the houses have to deal with issues such as the landscape surrounding the houses that are flooded in the rainy season. The houses have to be also expanded to accommodate more family members. Notably, it used the terrace area as a multi-purpose area due to the flexible layout and comfortable conditions for various activities. The architectural style of a raised floor house provides space under the house to store appliances for livelihood and prevent flooding. Furthermore, locally sourced plant materials such as "nipa palm" were used to both construct houses, as wall for cladding and roofing.