The Implementation of the Bertaud Model in Housing Development in Thailand

Abstract

           The Bertaud Model is a computer application that can be used for analyzing project pre-feasibility, improving site planning and design and project financial analysis simultaneously. The model’s first version was developed in 1977 by Alain Bertaud while he was working for the World Bank (WB) as an urban consultant to the National Housing Authority of Thailand (NHA). At that time, WB and NHA collaborated to develop the Tung Song Hong community as the pilot project applying the Site and Services concept. Thailand has played an important role is developing this model for the Personal Computer (PC) usages through the Microsoft Excel software.

          According to the literature review, during the 1980s, the model has been widely used in almost 25 countries by some 74 residential project developers. It has also been used by urban planners in the public sectors and private sectors, for instance, it was used to analyse and improve the housing regulations and design standards of Malaysia - the SLCHP or the Special Low-cost Housing Program. It was also used by NHA to analyse and improve site design and planning and project financial of the Low- income housing projects. Later Mr. Suphat Loiduanchai, a staff of NHA, further developed the Bertaud Model for use on personal computers (PC) as a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. since 2014,

          Research shows that the model has continued to be developed by many users until the present day. However, the NHA model version is a practical application that has been used at Chulalongkorn University. This model has been used as a toolkit for students in the Housing and Real Estate Development Program under the Housing Department of the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University. The students’ projects show that the model can be applied to a variety of project types such as housing, community, and mixed-use project development. On the other hand, there are some limitations, for instance, the model can be used appropriately only for low - rise residential projects.

           This research shows that the model can be applied to a variety of project types such as housing, community, and mixed-use project development. It can also be used as land-use regulations and design standards in the process of urban planning. Furthermore, it can be used to improve the projects design and planning, and financial feasibility both in public and private sectors. This will lead to change in the project planning process in Thailand. The model has potential for being developed and used to analyse mixed-use high-density projects. This would be improved by adding social dimensions. Finally, a manual on the use of the Bertaud Model for all types of projects should be created.