The project represents an affordable housing design competition, located on the main River bank of the city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The design elaborated not only seeks to provide sustainable, safe, and affordable housing schemes that specifically target the needs of low income workers, but also to celebrate tradition, architecturally, socially and culturally.
The concept emerged, following the site’s configuration and project’s needs. It follows a main central axis, expanding from the Riverside and cutting through the project. This green public axis will form a vital and interactive space in which the programmatic and infrastructural aspects will be embedded, from bus line to shelters, nursery, bamboo garden, markets, watch-tower and much more. Starting from the axis, the project’s circulation will be sewn connecting clusters to one another, and roads to exterior exits. Building clusters are then formed, following the plan’s axes and the natural orientation. Instead of constructing clone buildings, the project defies standardization and engenders individualism, as well as a sense of space. Using the same prototype units, a diverse architectural field can be created, with interior public courtyards and animated house circulations following the local cultural way of living. Material were chosen to be locally available, and made easy to construct on site by the workers themselves. Sustainability and durability were also the main criteria that we considered before any design implementation and future projections.
