The building’s design was inspired by a classic Thai Buddhist tale, Trai Bhum Phra Ruang, and was made to look like a temple as a reminder to officials of “Thainess” and morality, making it truly a Sappaya Sapasathan, “peaceful parliament”.
Sappaya-Sapasathan is a word combination with sappaya or the seven of Sappaya, meaning “comfortable”, “conducive conditions”, “supportive”, and the “right thing”; and the word sapasathan, meaning “council of the peaceful“.

 

 

Built to provide more than 424,000 m2 of floor space, at a budget of approximately 23 billion baht, it can accommodate more than 5,000 people and parking for 2,000 cars. Its main features are a Thai pagoda in the center of the building, Suriyan Hall (Hall of the Sun) for House of Representative, Chantra Hall (Hall of the Moon) for Senate, and the use of 5,018 teak trees as they represent the “DNA of Thailand“. It also houses museums, a convention center, a seminar room, a banquet hall, and offices. 

 

 

The parliament has changed its venue several times. Its first site was Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, used from 1933 until 1974. It then moved to the Parliament House of Thailand, but the building was soon outgrown. In 2008, three sites were considered for a new building. They were the Dusit District, the Mueang Nonthaburi District, and the Khlong Toei District. The Dusit District was chosen by the Samak Sundaravej government.

According to Wikipedia