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MODERN AND COMTEMPORARY LAOS ARCHITECTURE ( 1953-present)
As in neighbouring Cambodia, the 1950s were years of optimism which saw the appearance of new and innovative architectural styles. Important public structures from this period include the original National Assembly building (now the Prime Minister's Office), the Lycée de Vientiane, Mahosot Maternity Hospital, the National Stadium and the Municipal Swimming Pool. However, with the subsequent deterioration of the political situation in the later years of the Royal Lao Government, fewer public works were commissioned. The Patuxai Monument (1957) is said to have been constructed using US-purchased cement which had been earmarked for the construction of a new airport - hence its nickname, the 'vertical runway'.
The last major public building project before 1975 was the Presidential Palace in Vientiane, construction of which commenced in 1973 following the formation of the final coalition government and continued until 1986, when it finally opened as a reception hall and guest house for visiting international heads of state.
The economic difficulties experienced in Laos for more than a decade after 1975 precluded the commissioning of any major public works, and during this period the fabric of many existing buildings - religious and secular - deteriorated badly.
However, with the advent of chintanakan mai and the New Economic Mechanism (NEM), new office and apartment blocks began to appear throughout the capital city of Vientiane.
Since the early 1990s the designs of architect Dr Hongkad Souvannavong have brought a new vitality to several major centres of population. They include the new National Assembly building (1990), the Luang Prabang International Airport Terminal (1997) and the Patuxai Monument Park (2004). Dr Hongkad has also designed the new Government House, which will be built adjacent to Patuxai Monument on the site of the first National Assembly building (currently the Prime Ministers's Office) in 2006.
Regrettably key issues such as appropriateness of design and location in a predominantly low-rise city centre have yet to find a strong voice in urban planning. In this context the construction of the Lao Plaza Hotel (1998) and the National Cultural Hall (2000) in central Ban Mixay, and more recently the 14-storey Don Chan Palace Hotel (2004) on an island in the Mekong River, have caused some concern amongst conservationists.
The other important issue of recent years has been the fact that since chintanakan mai individuals have had the right to build their own homes and to make money from their property. Predictably, the pace of development in recent years has outstripped planning, and although most larger foreign-funded projects have followed the architectural rules, a considerable amount of unsystematic construction has taken place in residential areas. The popularity of the ubiquitous 'Greco-Roman Ranch' style house, which originated in neighbouring Thailand, has also contributed to the rapid demise of the traditional stilted Lao home in major urban centres.
Today the traditional Lao house - a thatched wooden structure built on stilts to catch breezes, avoid flooding and insect infestation and leave space beneath the living area for grain, livestock and a loom - is increasingly found only in rural areas.
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