Space: Non-Restricted Residential Space

    The non-restricted residential spaces are common spaces that are occupied by all the members of the household and accommodate all visitors of the house. The non-restricted space is important because it is a cultural behavior of Southeast Asians to live in a group of extended family and invite guests to participate in their activities to fill in the agenda of the day and/or boast about their current events. This is where people with close relationships gather together to be informed of their communal news, knowledge and opinions. The large open main terrace of a traditional Central Thailand’s house is an example of an non-restricted residential space since it has multiple functions such as being the greeting, dining and relaxing area for everyone to communicate with one another fluently. The kitchen of Central Thailand’s traditional home is also another open area that can be reached from multiple directions for the ease of movement and preparations. This design of the kitchen function can also be seen in the neighboring country’s traditional house, Lao Loum House in Southern Laos. The kitchen of this house is positioned at the corner of the house to receive good ventilations, and it can be easily accessed through the veranda. The shaded veranda is also a common space for the family, which also accommodates guests and visitors. However, it is more common that the open ground floor of the house serves as the non-restricted space because it is shaded by the main house and people are more noticeable by the surroundings since there is no wall cladding. Another design of a non-restricted space is in Northern Thailand, which forces the people to walk through the front of the house to access the non-restricted space at the back of the house. This design is controversial due to the ideal circulation of the house; however, it prospers at offering more areas to contribute to the social activities. In this traditional house, people are greeted at the front hall to clean themselves with water before entering the house. They then navigate through a corridor in the middle of the house to the main terrace where they can relax and dine similar to Central Thailand’s traditional home. The placement of the kitchen area of this house is at close proximity to the main terrace, allowing better movements for serving but not preparation. In another word, the non-restricted space is an area for social gathering of close relationships outside of the household members, and the placement of this space is always in an open area close to the kitchen for the comfort of extended socialization in both ventilation and nourishments.

Ground Level and First Floor Level of Southern Laos Traditional House Capturing the Non-restricted Residential Space