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Oratory of St Xavier in Umphang

Umphang district: a misty frontier

Umphang is Thailand’s most remote district; it is accessible only by the scenic but tortuous Route 1090. The area is so difficult to reach that it remain as a stronghold of Thailand’s communist insurgence until the 1980’s. Its most notable touristic attraction, the Thi Lo Su Waterfalls, was ignored by the national public until relatively recently. Umphang borders the Karen Nationalist Union, a rebel secessionist state still unrecognized by any foreign country, that hosts world’s longest ongoing armed conflict (60 years) against Myanmar. The province is home to several refugee camps under the administration of the Thai military. The Oratory of St Francis Xavier stands in front of the Umphang River, a few kilometers away from the conflict area.

The Xaverian Mission

Thailand is not a signatory member of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and thus the children fleeing from Myanmar have no right to a Thai Identification Number. Since the Royal Thai Police has no means to identify or track them, the kids turn into easy targets for all shorts of human traffickers and transnational mafias. The Xaverian Missions are particularly active in this segment of the border; during my long stay with them —particularly during the peak on hostilities during February-March of 2022— I witnessed from within their restless efforts to place the children in local schools while maintaining a fluid communication with their parents across the troubled frontier.

As a result of the long-standing presence of British missionaries in colonial Burma, ethnic Karen on both sides of the Myanmar-Thai border are predominantly Christian. In order of creating a worship space that could help articulate these humanitarian efforts, which were supported by Catholic families on both sides of the border, and serve as spiritual beacon of the growing community, father Reynaldo Tardielly commissioned the design of the temple to Paco Garcia Moro. The aim was erecting a landmark building that related to Karen crafts and traditions that would still unequivocally stand and as declaration of Catholic faith.

The Oratory

The temple’s layout was inspired by ethnic Karen textile motives, while the outer organic form blends with the spatial configuration originated by the rites of the Catholic liturgy. Its shape evokes a miracle attributed to St Francis Xavier: when on the verge of drowning in a shipwreck in the Moluccas, a crab approached him holding up a crucifix that the saint had previously lost in the sea. The structural grid, originally conceived as a square of interwoven fibers that rises towards the Umphang River, highlights the path to Communion along the central axis. Opposite the altar, the roof spreads lower in order to welcome visitors, leading them to the worship area. According to local customs, the temple was conceived in order to let the community celebrate mass while sitting on the floor. For more formal ceremonies, local families provided benches made of reclaimed wood.

Vernacular crafts

The temple was built in the wood of thakien wood (Hopea odorata), which is generally avoided by Buddhists because it’s believed to host spirits. One third of the wood was reclaimed from the demolitions of vernacular houses in the vicinity and the rest was obtained from local communities managed by the Department of Forestry of Thailand. The woodwork was executed by master carpenter Reen Sulee. Mr. Sulee, who was born in the Karen State, learned geometry and traditional carpentry during his youth in prison. Today he is renowned for his local vernacular houses and keeps the Karen house-building traditions alive.

Timber circular economy.

Forty percent of the church was built in teakwood reclaimed from old vernacular houses. These dwellings are still common in the area and were usually erected before the 1989 Thailand ban on the use precious woods. Sadly but understandably, their owners often want to replace them by modern, more convenient brick and concrete houses. These demolished houses are usually priced ‘by the pillar’ since the number of pillars determine approximately the total amount of timber that is on sell. The rest of the building was made from community-managed plantations under supervision of the Thai Forestry Department.

Traditional carpentry as living heritage

The timber structure was built by an ethnic Karen carpenter, Master Sulee. Born in Myanmar, Master Sulee learned geometry and Karen woodwork techniques during his time in prison and, since then, he has become renowned in the area for having built many of the most remarkable vernacular houses around the Umphang Valley.

Master Sulee addressed by himself several critical features, such as the structure of the central cross (11 m.), which is also the master pillar of the house. Instead of making it in steel as originally conceived, he managed to make it entirely in timber.

Passive acclimatization

The composite pillars, one of most distinctive findings of this design, allow the river breeze to flow across the building. The shape and location of the church, which rises over a river meander, maximize its exposure to the valley winds and create a pressure differential towards the mountain.

Each pillar is made of four studs of wood which are tied at their base and top by “carriage bolts” that can be bought in local hardware stores. Lamps were placed in the voids within the columns, creating a magical atmosphere that is particularly captivating during dawn and sunset. The lamps and electrical devices were also obtained from nearby shops and installed by electrician Mr. Preecha Laothanasan.

See through pillars in St Xavier´s Oratory

Implantation on the landscape. St Xavier’s Oratory tops the meander in Umphang Valley’s river and the cross stands framed by the two existing trees in a veiled reference to the Crucifixion. The outer lattice is conceived as a natural extension of the vernacular structures around and it echoing the timber envelops that cover Karen vernacular homes. When seen from the entrance side, the pitch room and its rounded corners blend smoothly with the mountains at the background that lead to the border with Myanmar.

Reinterpretation of Karen motives

As a stateless people thriving in the frontier mountains between Thailand and Myanmar, engulfed in the world’s oldest ongoing military conflict, Karen culture have narrow paths where to manifest and flourish. Weavers and carpenters, both engendering relatively short-lived and movable products, are probably their most distinctive creations. The floor layout and the structural grid of the Oratory aimed to offer a reinterpretation of Karen geometric motives, which are usually based in the interlaced structures of both fabrics and timber mats.

Xavier Oratory in Umphang Drawing by Paco Garcia Moro

Opening and Consecration

Night before the Consecration of St Xavier in Umphang

The church was consecrated by Monseñor Joseph Phibun, bishop of Nakhon Sawn, on 17th of December of 2022 in a simple but still splendid ceremony with attendance by many signified members of local and Christian communities.

Consecration mass of the Oratory of St Xavier in Umphang on 17th December of 2022.

Consecration day of St Xavier in Umphang

If you are interested about this project, you can read very interesting pieces written by:

Nathanicha Chaidee for Association of Siamese Architects Under Royal Patronage (p. 102)

Jyncy Lype for StirWorld Magazine

Adela Bonas for Metalocus

Nacho Martín for Salamanca Hoy

Meet the Xaverians

You can also contact the Xaverian Mission in Thailand and get to know first-hand their activities.

And, of course, you can meet the Xaverians in Umphang.

This is a short video we made about the project. (I wish I had time to make a longer, better one…)

Photographs by Panoramic Studio and Paco García Moro. Feb. 2023. @pacogmoro

St Xavier’s nominated for Construmat’24 Awards

In Barcelona on 23rd May, receiving the nomination of St Xavier’s Oratory for the Construmat’24 Sustainability Awards from the hands of Albert Cuchí, Manuel Enríquez Jiménez and Justo Orgaz. A recognition that I must share with Father Reynaldo Tardielly and Karen carpenter master Ren Sulee. Very grateful also to Asociación Sostenibilidad y Arquitectura and Foundation Mies Van der Rohe, and congatulations to the winners and the other nominees.

Awards ceremony at Construmat’24 Sustainability Awards, Barcelona, May 25th 2024

Interview by Christopher Dewolf

Nice to read “The Lost Cityscape of Do-It-Yourself Hong Kong” by Christopher Dewolf in Zolima City Mag, which has been, for many years, one of most interesting digital outlets about Hong Kong urban culture and history. Very thankful to Dewolf for inviting me to contribute based on the facts and ideas I presented in “Life and Death of Hong Kong Illegal Facades” back in 2020.
Check the Article here>
https://zolimacitymag.com/the-lost-cityscape-of-illegal-do-it-yourself-hong-kong/

Venturing into Meditative Drawing

Inspired by the meditation drawings by Möebius. Seeking a state of mindfullness, forgetting about everyday’s petty issues and letting the hand flow. Same as other skills like road driving, once you have fully internalized the mechanics, while keeping the see-forward ability that allows you to build a composition, the process goes almost automatically. The resulting drawing is less important than the mental state. A healing, nurturing activity that I totally recommend.

You just have to let your hand flow without trying to adhere to any specific thought, form or motive. In my opinion, those formal structures that you have built in your mind after years of conscious practice will arise. The produced drawing, although they are not as important as the process, will look fresher and more vivid.

This Mandala is definitely the most elaborated attempt until now.

Framing my dip pen drawings

During last years I have accumulated dozens of dip pen drawings that I would like to exhibit someday —some of them are quite nice, to be honest— and I though about getting some picture frames and start experimenting with displays. However, nearly all frames I’ve seen in malls and photo shops of Thailand are beyond ugly, including all Japanese brands that usually deliver slightly better designs —sort of kawaii–minimal— at budget prices (Vietnam-made). Ikea has some better frames, but I still could not find anything that adapted to my drawings the way I want. Years have taught me that the universe wants you to be lazy and, if you want things to be done, you must be picky and even stubborn at some extent.

That is why I decided to start making my own picture frames by ordering wood in Lazada. I finally got my first batch of drawings framed and the results are looking promising. It looks quite obvious that I am not a carpenter, but I do like the handmade feeling and, most importantly, how they enhance the pen work of the pictures. More to come soon …

Framing my pen drawings by Paco Garcia Moro

Children’s dormitory in Mae Khlong Mae

New project in the making. A dormitory for fifty Karen refugee children in Mae Khlong Mar Village, Northwest of Thailand, run by St Xavier’s Catholic Mission. The dormitory will stand 10 km away from the border with Myanmar, facing directly the areas under armed conflict.

During my stay in MKM, hosted by the hospitality of the Xaverian community, I’ve witnessed two peaks in hostilities, -one involving the Thai Royal Air Force- and subsequent waves of refugees. Fleeing children lack any Gov ID and are regularly kidnapped and ‘vanished’ by transborder mafias, leaving no trace and facing destinies that are too harsh to detail here.
However, I also had chance to see the efforts of the Xaverians in registering the children at local schools and even assisting the luckiest and brightest ones into vocational or higher education.

Unlike St Xavier’s Oratory, built 3 km South, this will be a very practical building made in concrete and breeze bricks, following conventional local standards. We aim to have it concluded before the summer.

The dormitory will be flanked by rows of teak trees (a wood that has turned into a forbidden luxury in the West that happens to grow here in abundance) and, also, sports playgrounds a pond where children will learn how to fish and pick frogs to be cooked for dinner.

Published: “White Palaces over Rice Fields”

Here is my article “White Palaces over Rice Fields” about 1970s corporate architecture in Thailand. With the rise of Thai Farmer´s Bank (today Kasikorn), new and modern bank branches were built in every provincial town. While resembling the bank’s logo —a rice plant—, these buildings also looked half-way Gothic and were, after the spires of the temples, the most prominent sights in every village. Other institutions, like Krung Thai Bangk —represented by the Varupak bird—, also resorted to build their own logo-buildings.
Taking the title form Ruth McVey’s “Money and Power in Rural Thailand”, I remain very grateful to photographer Beer Singnoi, who’s is devoted to documenting Thai Brutalist architecture, for his splendid images. [for now, text only Spanish:]

A Tale of Salamanca Carvers at the Rising Sun

We just received a printed copy of “Stone Carving for the Rising Sun: A History of the Japanese Replicas of the Salamancan University Façade and New Cathedral Nativity Portal“, an article I’ve written about a very singular project in which my dad took part.

During the mid-90s, the Plateresque buildings in my hometown were reproduced by local artisans in Villamayor sandstone following the blueprints that my father drew at his small office. Such project, today standing in Gifu, Japan, was possible thanks to the patronage of Empress Michiko, her friend the pipeorgan-maker Hiroshi Tsuji and hispanist Eikichi Hayashiya -then ambassador to Spain-, who lead the fundraising.

Princess Sayako attended the grand opening in Gifu in 1998 and met the team of Spanish stone carvers. At home we still keep, apart from the original drawings, the cloth Chrysanthemum flower used to signal those allowed to speak to members of the Imperial family.

[Una anécdota para salmantinos: a la inauguración asistió también Pilar Fernández Labrador, en aquel momento concejala de cultura. Sus trenzas enrolladas tipo princesa Leia (ver google) cautivaron al público femenino japonés].

I must note that the printed edition of the ‘Journal of Traditional Architecture and Urbanism’ #3 by INTBAU is very well edited and pleasant to read.

https://www.traditionalarchitecturejournal.com/index.php/home/article/view/607/135

Birdcages in Soviet Estates

Another stunning research paper. In July 2019 we had chance to visit 17 of the old KTT neighbourhoods in Hanoi. The KTT were socialist apartments built with prefabrication techniques introduced by Soviet and North Korean advisors (NK was quite good at it) that evoke the classic USSR khrushchevka apartments. However, after the 90s reforms, a self-construction frenzy spread through Vietnamese homeowners (mostly, elite members of party, army and government), who added cages and all short of illegal extensions to their units.
The streetscapes of the KTT neighbourhoods, same as the Urban Villages in China, are truly remarkable, and often provide community spaces of unexpected comfort and humanity, which would have been almost unachievable to any central planner.

So I spent my birthday strolling and photographing these unique streets. You can read the article here (EN/ES).

Now working to get the visual archives we built during the process properly published, so please stay tunned…

*Visitantes examinan una maqueta de un bloque de viviendas prefabricadas en la exposición ´Los Logros de la Ciencia, la Tecnología y Cultura Soviéticas en Nueva York. 1959. Fuente: Time Magazine.*

“The Liquid Mandala” published by RITA

Now published “The Liquid Mandala”. Sametr Pattanapornchai, —known by the Thai media as the “mad professor”— used to fill the streets of Bangkok with mysterious hieroglyphs. Probably victim of some obsessive-compulsive disorder, Sametr was a homeless person at drift through the underground spaces of the Big Mango capital. His characteristic graffiti merged vaguely technical diagrams with mystical numerology and Buddhist divinatory charts: allegedly, Sametr was trying to uncover a global conspiracy against him. His faceless foes were leaving, however, a trait of clues disguised as dates of calendar, cartographies and all short of coincidental happenings.

Once he was discovered by artists, bloggers and curators, he was featured first at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center in 2019 and, soon after, at the Bangkok Biennale of 2020. Even if his work was presented next to that of top artists such as Ai Wei Wi, Anish Kapoor and Marina Abramovich, Sametr could still be seen drawing on the pavements around Phra Kannong at that time.

I stay very grateful to French filmmaker Rapahel Treza (author of the documentary ‘Mistery Mind Maps’ about Sametr) and Thai photographer Beer Singnoi for their images and helpful insights.

“The Thai Shophouse: a Bastard Typology” at ACE Journal

The “hongthaew”, the Siamese shophouse, is the most iconic architecture typology of modern Thailand. It is an extremely versatile and robust design that has survived two hundred years of urban transformations. The “hongthaew” is a mixed-breed dog, an architectural nomad, a born survivor that originated in South China and was travelled to Siam via British Singapore. A multi-faceted charmer that has morphed into every fancy style of the day: beaux-art, bauhaus, new formalism… Today, in spite of the rapid verticalization of central Bangkok, the “hongthaew” still deploys her quiet, low-key dominance under contemporary skins and “glocal” adaptations. My article here at ACE journal (ES), by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.