Ercole Manfredi

Ercole Manfredi
Manfredi as Lieutenant-Commander on the Royal Naval Scout Corps—Private Battalion of His Majesty, in the capacity of Naval Architect
Born	(1883-07-02)2 July 1883 Turin, Italy
Died	9 June 1973(1973-06-09) (aged 89) Bangkok, Thailand
Nationality	Italian / Thai
Alma mater	Accademia Albertina
Occupation	Architect
Practice	Government of Siam Christiani & Nielsen (Siam) Ltd. The Impresitor Company
Buildings	Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall (1908–15; collaboration) Mrigadayavan Palace (1923–24) Villa Norasingh (1923–25, collaboration)

Ercole Pietro Manfredi (2 July 1883 – 9 June 1973) was an Italian architect who lived and worked in early twentieth-century Siam (now Thailand). Born in Turin, Italy, he attended the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts before travelling to Bangkok, where he was one of many Westerners employed by the Siamese government.

He made significant career progress through the court of King Vajiravudh, but left government office to work privately as the country was going through political change which abolished absolute monarchy and decreased government employment of foreigners. However, by adopting a Thai identity and way of life, marrying a Thai woman and settling down permanently, Manfredi remained a relevant and respected figure in Thai architecture, and later became a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University. His works include various royal residences and public institutions, ranging in style from Venetian Gothic to modernist, and incorporated Thai traditional styles as well. He contributed to much of Bangkok's architectural heritage, but no complete records of his works were kept.

Ercole Pietro Manfredi was born on 2 July 1883 in Turin, Italy to Luigi Manfredi and Caterina Bo. He attended the Lagrange Royal Technical School starting in 1894 and the San Carlo Technical School from 1898 to 1899. At the age of sixteen, he was admitted into the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts, where during his studies he received a first prize in architecture, design, perspective and painting. He received a diploma in 1907 and subsequently attended the Higher Course in Architecture. During this time he also worked for Turin's Public and Municipal Works Department, where he supervised constructions and patented an earthquake engineering system. In 1909, he graduated with a High Qualification as painter and architect, receiving a gold medal first prize in addition to fifteen other prizes won during his studies.