The first stop is at the behemoth that is the Rajamangala National Stadium. Any number of hyperbolic adjectives could be used to describe this astonishing structure. But owing to the exterior's vast expanses of arcaded, grey concrete, without a shred of glass or scrap of metal to soften its lines, 'beautiful' is not one of them. Amazingly, for a stadium this size and in this day and age, we find floodlight pylons; two of them.
Each gantry sits atop two staggeringly tall legs - like a 'War of the Worlds' Martian but with one leg missing. The stadium and surrounding sporting facilities were purpose-built for the 1998 Asian Games, and the main stadium has been used on and off by the national team since then. It was also a venue for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
As with the arenas in Chiang Mai and Korat, the stadium is a continuous, circular construction but on a far greater scale. The roof-less eastern side is two-tiered. The lower tier is relatively small when compared with the immense upper tier which looms above. Its height peaks level with the halfway line and dramatically falls away as the tribune curves round to the identical north and south ends. In the middle of each end, the ever narrowing upper tier, now just a dozen or so rows deep, is interrupted by a monolithic white, concrete block.
At the northern end this ugly lump is topped by an 'Olympic' torch; at the southern end the face of the block has a scoreboard on it. Presumably both blocks were originally intended to get scoreboards. As it is is, they rudely disrupt the flowing, undulating line of the upper tier, and the stark appearance of the block at the northern end is somewhat inexplicable. Beyond these blocks, the upper tier rises up once more to form the towering west stand. The same dimensions as the east, the west benefits from being fully covered by a gigantic, arching, cantilever roof.
A wide, decorative, crisscross fascia gives the roof added distinction. This stand houses the press boxes, VIP seats and, within, all the facilities one would expect from a major national stadium.
So it's not a beautiful stadium. And its by no means the only large, multi-purpose bowl in the region. But thanks to its dramatic sweeps and curves, and its sky-scraper-like height, there's nothing quite like it.
Like the Rajamangala, Thammasat was purpose-built for the 1998 Asian Games and was designed and constructed by Christiani & Nielsen: the same company that built the Democracy Monument. Whereas Rajamangala is all brutal, dominant, uncomplicated concrete; Thammasat is soothing steel and clever detail. In shape, it is not quite so circular as the Chiang Mai or Korat stadiums; not quite so rectangular as the Suphachalasai.
It is best viewed from the outside where a network of crisscrossing beams, struts and wires demonstrate exactly how the stands and roofs are held up. Also note the floodlights which seem to hold onto the outside of the stadium with outstretched limbs - giant praying mantises in metal form. Superbly engineered, they are a world away from the twin monsters at the Rajamangala.
Within, and things are not quite so satisfactory. The stadium has similar lines to the Rajamangala but none of the grandeur. Students of football ground architecture will be reminded of Huddersfield Town's Galpharm stadium by the two side stands, and of Korat's 80th Birthday stadium by the continuous all-seated tribune. But at Korat, all of the seats, bar those in the covered main stand, are accessed by rear staircases which lead spectators to the top of the tribune whereupon they then filter down into the seats. This system gives the stadium a clean, uncluttered appearance.
But at Thammasat there are no fewer than forty vomitories (entrance and exit points) in the stands. If each large side-stand is ably served by ten vomitories, then why are ten required at each, much smaller, end? This profusion of exits produces a messy, fussy effect when the stadium is empty. This messiness is exacerbated in the main stand. Just over half of the stand is given over to spectator seating, but the other portion is taken up by a - surely far too large - press area and an athletics judges' viewing box. These features give the stand a horribly uneven look.
To the left and right are two near-identical ends. The end to the right has a large scoreboard which, instead of being fitted at the back of the stand, has been inserted in the middle of the block behind the goal, cutting its size in half: more clutter. The stand opposite the main stand is the same as that which it mirrors but without all the irritating intrusions: just a large, covered bank of seating. (see photo)
Despite these complaints, thanks to the dazzling exterior, Thammasat is still Thailand's most compelling stadium. As I complete this article news has come though that Police United F.C, newly of the Thai Premier League, will use Thammasat for the 2010 season. It's great to hear that the place will be in regular use again. Keen followers of Thai football may smile at the irony that a club which, for many, is a ghost of Thai football past, will move into a stadium which still seems to point to the future.
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