Dean, Division of Arts & Humanities, University of California, San Diego; General Director of "Turin 1911: The World's Fair in Italy" web project.

The Siamese pavilion digresses completely from the general architecture of the Fair, keeping thus a markedly exotic sense. This project was studied in Bangkok, in the offices of the Public Works Department by the architects Annibale Rigotti and Mario Tamagno. It is from the same architecture of the Siamese churches (Watt) with large, polychrome roofs, in the so-called binocular style and with the golden dome (phrachady). It has a total length of 65 meters and a height – from the top of the tallest pole – of 45 meters. The pavilion is composed of three-closed room and three open galleries. The building of the Pavilion was undertaken by Mr Previgliano. The Exhibition of Siam draws the attention of all the visitors in a special way since it brings us the echo of the life and civilization of mysterious and evocative regions of the Orient