When he was a child he was interested in painting and carving and created decorations for various festive occasions. His carvings were used to decorate local temples, monks' residences and schools. Suwankiri got his primary school education in his home province. When it was time for high school he moved over to Bangkok where he was tutored by a senior at a temple in order to prepare him for the university entrance exam. As a result of his efforts he was accepted into the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University. He graduated from Chulalongkorn University in 1964.
After his graduation he applied for a teaching position at his faculty in order to teach Thai Architecture.[1]
In 1972 Suwankiri decided to continue his own education and started a Master’s degree at the School of Architecture at University of Pennsylvania. Nine months later he successfully finished his studies and returned to teach again at his home university as the specialist for Thai Architecture.[2][dead link]
Suwankiri's Awards and Honors include but are not limited to:
As a traditional Thai Architect Suwankiri designs buildings with modern purposes such as government buildings.[5] He furthermore designed schools, pavilions and temples.[6] His work has international recognition. For example was one of his Sala Pavilions dedicated by Their Majesties King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand to the East-West Center in Hawaii. Given[7] The building was dedicated to expand cultural understanding and is still part of the University of Hawaii campus life.[8] Another one of his international works is the Baan Thai Pavilion in Echo Valley, British Columbia. This design was particularly challenging because it was one of the first traditional Thai structures standing in the colder temperate climate zone where very snowy winters are common.[9][dead link]
