PHNOM PENH SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE 

Residential complex 

Localización: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Client: United Nations Development Program, Building Trust international, Phnom Penh SEZ 

State: Competition

Year: 2018

An epicenter of activity and diversity

The large number of residential units that are planned to be built in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) provides the opportunity to create a new urban epicenter in this part of the city, being able to consolidate not only as the commercial and industrial activity of this district but also other uses that make it function as a small town. A city that offers all services and a high quality of life to its inhabitants.

Therefore, the main objective of this proposal is to create a city in the city. To achieve this, an important factor in the proposal is to include not only residential activities, but also to achieve an urban appearance. The proposed residential blocks vary in height to avoid monotony. The proposed volumes are more reminiscent of the skyline of a diverse city than a repetitive working-class residential complex. Furthermore, the staggered volumes and materiality give the proposal a certain atmosphere of monumentality, which aims to dignify this working-class neighborhood. The intention is that residents in this area want to live here not only because of the proximity to their jobs, but also because they feel comfortable living here due to the high quality of life and low prices. This type of monumentality also evokes the well-known lost cities of Cambodia and, although it is not the objective of this proposal to recreate this type of cities, it is a way of linking the project with the collective memory of Cambodians, thus combining modernity and tradition in the project.