AMONG A MILLION RICE FIELDS

Carnegie Mellon—Architecture
Advanced Option Studios: Of Mothers & Dragons

Designer: Tai Le
Instructor: Tommy CheeMou Yang
Chiang Mai, Thailand | Fall 2025

In Chiang Mai, cultural memory and ecological balance are increasingly buried beneath rapid urbanization. Myths of the Naga, the luminous Yi Peng festival, and the Lanna worldview, whose name translates to “a million rice fields,” once shaped a landscape where land, water, and community were inseparable. Today, wetlands shrink, rice fields disappear, and rituals that once sustained collective identity gradually fade. This project begins by recognizing that such loss is not merely spatial but social and ecological, weakening relationships that once sustained coexistence in the valley.

Drawing from traditional Chiang Mai houses, where elevated living spaces allow animals, storage, and agricultural tools below while domestic life unfolds above in a sequence of stair, veranda, hall, and bedrooms, the design adapts vernacular logic to contemporary pressures. A homestay integrated with farming is proposed as a living infrastructure rather than an isolated building. Modules align with existing field boundaries to preserve irrigation patterns, while locally sourced teak and passive ventilation strategies reduce environmental impact.

Attention to detail guides the project across multiple scales, from timber joinery and raised floor systems that accommodate seasonal flooding to butterfly roofs that collect rainwater and shared thresholds that welcome both people and animals. The open ground plane supports ducks, dogs, and cultivation, while upper levels host residents and visitors, fostering multispecies coexistence. By reconnecting agriculture, cultural rituals, and community life, the project strengthens livelihoods and resilience. Architecture mediates coexistence and offers a replicable model for rural regions facing similar pressures.