Living with Changeable Modes

Author: Minh Quang Nguyen, Thong Nguyen, Chau Nguyen, Tung Nguyen, Ngoc Le
Year: 2017
Location: Cambodia
Type: Competition - Affordable Housing Design Challenge in Phnompenh, Cambodia sponsored by Building Trust, UNDP, Phnompenh Special
economic zone.
Status: Published

Too much water

Ecotones concept

Living in color parks

Changeable modes

Changeable spaces on the ground

A resilient urban housing

Too much water in the wet season and too little water in the dry season.
Situated along the Mekong, Phnom Penh is vulnerable to flooding. With the increased severity of climate change, urbanization, and insufficient irrigation, the city is facing a great water crisis which calls for an adaptive strategy to live with the rising water level. The Site, within Phase 3 of PPSEZ, on the very edge of Stoeng Prek Thnaot River, is embedded within the high-risk flooding zone, with the minimum flood height level predicted in 2015 at +1.5m.
The project aims to create a resilient urban - housing framework that is simultaneously affordable and in sync with the local natural context. The usage of local materials( concrete, brick, and bamboo) helps maximize the potential of the tropical climate. At the same time, it minimizes the time and cost of construction.
There are no fixed walls, only the structure frame is stable. All the spaces can be used flexibly. Inside this regular framework is a dynamic social process where people can live, earn money, enlarge their families, and enjoy their lives. This is more than housing, it is a place to start a new future.

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