Building in Thailand

Having just returned from a fabulous trip to Thailand, I have been perusing photos that show a real mix of buildings ranging from the ramshackle to the salubrious.

Construction and building is on the up, but I wonder just how Thailand adopt basic codes and building standards to quickly put Thailand on the map alongside Malaysia, China and India.

The Government is trying to 'sell' Thailand as a beautiful holiday destination (and there is no doubt that the country has this commodity in spades), but discerning tourists are keen to have some creature comforts when staying there. The tourists appear to be well catered for but buildings for the poorer communities look like hovels with a disturbing lack of facilities.

When walking alongside these buildings, it makes you realise just how essential our own building regulations are in the UK, particularly where safety and energy efficiency are concerned.

Perhaps we'll take Wholebuild out to Thailand so that builders, architects and other building professionals can share best practice and turn some of these dilapidated buildings into 21st century projects that the nation is proud to own.