A throwback to one of my first posts, from Christao blogger Chris: "Each city has its own development rhythm. Buildings are constructed then subsequently modified or added on to. Sometimes the buildings are torn down to make way for newer buildings. In some cities (think Florence, Italy) the rhythm is very slow. In other cities (Hong Kong!) one can be surprised by how staccato the rhythm is. Here in Bangkok, it is somewhat in between, though closer to Hong Kong than Florence.
"A few weeks ago, I noticed that a pair of shophouses were being demolished. Interestingly, they are not removing the entire row of identical shophouses, just these two. I would guess that these shop houses probably date to around the 1960s so they are being replaced within three generations.
"The process took several days and was done largely by hand -- laborers with sledgehammers started at the top of the building and deconstructed it, floor by floor. The demolition process exposes the intimate way in which the buildings are connected: ghosts of the back stairs can be seen on the wall of the remaining shophouse. " Full post with photos here.