Pinyo Suwankiri

Pinyo Suwankiri (Thai: ภิญโญ สุวรรณคีรี; born 10 March 1937) is a Thai architect. He was born in Songkhla.

Suwankiri began painting and carving as a child, and created decorations for various festive occasions. His carvings were used to decorate local temples, monks' residences and schools. Suwankiri received his primary school education in his home province. When it was time for high school he was tutored by a senior at a temple in Bangkok 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 began studying toward 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]