Elegance in Simplicity: The Chapel of Wat Phra Dhammikaya : หน้า 49/232

Its simplicity in design was to ensure low-cost maintenance and yet is still able to keep its refined elegance. These buildings are symbols of Buddhism for people to come and pay homage to. The chapel is an example of this simple economical elegance as well as being one of the most used buildings at Wat Phra Dhammikaya. For instance, the concrete that was used in the construction of the chapel was not any ordinary concrete. The best sand had to be selected from the sand dunes on the coastline and transported up the Chao Phraya River via barges. The concrete itself also had to be of the best quality. Once the mix was available, it then had to undergo rigorous testing to ensure long-lasting quality and only when the specialist team had given its approval would the construction continue. Even with the outer wall of the chapel, the gravel that was used had to be selected by hand. It had to be the whitest and purest and similar in size to a grain of rice. At that time, the supporters and locals were so impressed with the attention to detail that they chipped in and helped select the gravel with their own hands.