Re-thinking Industrial Habitat
Affordable Urban Housing Challenge – ARCHU
Team : Xuan Truong NGUYEN – Duc Thanh DO
PhnomPenh, Cambodian capital is raising to become a hub for factories of the world. It is observing a mass migration of people from rural to urban areas in search of jobs causing population explosion and thousands of low-income workers live in slums. These cramped, low-light, poorly ventilated and lack of clean water residents often appear around major industrial spots, on the outskirts of the city. Therefore, proposing low-cost and adaptable housing for these workers has become a big challenge for urban managers and policy makers.
The site is located inside PhnomPenh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) – 20km from the city center. Established in 2006, PPPSEZ is an crucial industrial zone of the country with more than 88 enterprises and 17.000 permanent employees. Total of 357ha, PPSEZ reserves an 7ha area for this low-cost housing project. Located in phase 3 of PPSEZ, this site is adjacent to the PrekThnout river, villages and their agricultural area. The project is quite challenging when building a high-density residential area (at least 2000 households) at a low-cost ($16000/unit – infrastructure included). Besides, we have to minimize negative impacts of the project to the surrounding village zone. Therefore, our solution searches for harmonies between high-density design and Cambodian tradition lifestyle and elements.
On architectural scale, the project aims at new and modern worker housing, which integrates elements of traditional housing architecture. Five design criteria include : diversity, flexibility, cheapness, shared lifestyle and future development directions. Inspired by the traditional Cambodian stilt house which is suitable for this riverside area, we’ve developed a co-habitation units of 20 apartments. Households will share common utility spaces located on the ground floor and on each floor (nursery, grocery, bike yard…). The floors of each unit are staggered to create seamless links along vertical axis. Thus, promoting the exchange, relationship between neighbors. To ensure low construction costs and sustainability, apartments are made up of modular steel frames, prefab concrete blocks. These elements are possible to be re-generated and re-programmed. Besides, the bamboo folding walls are used to provide shade and ventilation while easily transform the living room to a traditional porch for daily activities. This practice also helps to preserve and stimulate traditional know-how.
On a larger scale, our project aims to build a place that responses to living needs of residents, also, create an intimate relationship with the area by promoting the development of surrounding industrial and agricultural parks. The design responds to the complexities of future residents of various ages, genders, statues… by providing diverse housing types for families, young couples or even co-living. In parallel, rich and seamless public spaces (squares, markets, commercial streets, parks…) are added, taking advantage of surrounding green factors. The enhance of activities such as sports, education, agriculture, trade, employment connections… helps linking new and old communities, strengthening resident’s loyalty therefore increasing project’s value overtime. This is new compared to the rapid deterioration of common social housings.
The attraction of the project is to create an interaction between buildings, landscapes, publics spaces and people. It stimulate diversity, quality of daily life for workers by preserving localfactors, mutating new social infrastructures with existing communities, valorizing natural environment. Our vision is a sustainable residential area where workers and their families can settle, develop their economy and increase social relations.
Location : Campbodia
Year: 2018
Status : Competition winner
Surface : 10ha