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

National Assembly of Thailand The Parliament of Thailand ( Abrv: NAT; , , ) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok. The Parliament was established in 1932 after the adoption of Thai ...

, the bicameral legislative branch of the

Government of Thailand Government of Thailand, officially the Royal Thai Government (RTG; , , ), is the central executive authority of the Kingdom of Thailand. The government is led by the prime minister of Thailand, prime minister (Paetongtarn Shinawatra since 14 ...

. It is located in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

on the east bank of the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River 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. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

in Kiakkai neighbourhood of the Dusit District. It is the world's largest parliament building with 424,000 m² of floor space. Once completed, Parliament House MRT station on

MRT Purple Line The MRT Purple line () or MRT Chalong Ratchadham line () is Bangkok's fifth rapid transit line, following the Sukhumvit Line, Silom Line, Blue Line, and Airport Rail Link. The line is long, serving the north-western area of Bangkok running ...

will serve the area.

History

The Thai parliament has changed its venue several times. Its first site was Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, used from 1933 until 1974. It then moved to the Parliament House of Thailand, 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, and the

Khlong Toei district Khlong Toei (also Klong Toey, , ) is a districts of Bangkok, 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 Toei M ...

. The Dusit district was chosen by the Samak Sundaravej government, resulting in relocation of Yothinburana secondary school and some communities.

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 (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

", 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" 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

Sappaya-Sapasathan was designed by a team led by Theerapol Niyom, who was the winner in the building's design competition. Built to provide more than 424,000 m² ,600,000 square feetof floor space, at a budget of approximately 23 billion

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

,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 of Thailand, 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 (panic ...

trees as they represent the "

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

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

It was contracted for in 2013 and was scheduled to be opened in 2015. It sits on a bank of the

in Kiakkai 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, 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) (; ) is legally the administrative agency responsible for managing the property of the King of Thailand. The king had appointed six members of the bureau's governing board, with the seventh the sitting Minister of ...

, 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 remained unfinished. The building was officially opened on 1 May 2021 after significant delays.

Gallery

File:Phra Suriyan chamber.jpg, Phra Suriyan Chamber File:Chantra Hall.jpg, Chantra Chamber File:Committee meeting room No. 304.jpg, Committee meeting room File:Sappaya-Sapasathan Pano (III).jpg, View of Sappaya-Sapasathan from Chao Phraya River

References

External links

{{Commons category, Sappaya-Sapasathan
Parliament of Thailand

Government buildings in Bangkok Parliament of Thailand Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River Dusit district Legislative buildings Seats of national legislatures