Oudong Residence is an 8-story building that comprises 28 condominium residences in the city area of Oudong, located approximately 35 km north of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Oudong is known as a tourist attraction site due to its historical background and mystical sacred aspect of the site.
The building and the setting are designed to be connected to one other, and the requirements of the site are balanced via symmetrical stacking of the building’s components. These elements are extruded along the perimeter of the building and represent themselves in an almost identical way to the profile of unique landscapes of Oudong mountain. The design keeps the complexity of an urban building located in a tropical context while providing wide and open views.
The interaction between the urban context, the architecture, and nature intends to formulate the interior spaces with harmony and transparency. With landscaped terraces that offer unobstructed views to the Cambodian countryside, each residence is conceived as a private space that evokes a sense of informal luxury. The Oudong residence draws a unified composition of textures inspired by nature itself, whether blended into a natural setting such as blue dust, green pastel, dark bronze, wood, natural stone, and glass, carrying impressions of a warm sense of place.
The sinuous lines of the building seek to provide an instant landmark, providing a modern approach as to how architecture and nature can co-exist in an urban tropical landscape. Lifting a building over stilts frees the ground floor for the circulation of people and garden areas, generating 1600 square meters of open space. This fundamentally modern solution was chosen to promote free spaces with a stronger connection between the public sphere and the building's private spaces.
The free design of the layout is achieved by creating an open plan, freeing the floor plan from structural conditioning so that the partitions and internal spaces of the building can become more flexible and integrated. Generous openings through the facade provide more indoor lighting and panoramic views of the exterior. Because the climate is wet and humid, the building turns these conditions into positive human comfort strategies. Around the perimeter of the site are tropical gardens and walkways where inhabitants can enjoy the views across the beautiful landscape.
The project for Oudong Residence encourages the practice of sharing, which promotes interactions and co-living via the presence of common areas like the gardens and lounge spaces.
Restricted by a height limit due to the local regulations, a series of horizontal layers stacked with slight offsets produce a dynamic effect that, combined with locally sourced materials, marks the project as part of Cambodia. It will be the first new construction in this area, making it highly visible.
The building attempts to combine existing and new diverse elements through movement that bring new shadow lines reflections. The top master layer is articulated by metal frames that create a horizontal band running the perimeter of the facade and excavate the mass of the building with large tropical planting terraces. The sinuous facade features cantilevered balconies that float above Cambodia’s horizon, which are a perfect design for glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC). A digital model production works to provide a well-coordinated process through efficient molded panel systems, allowing the complex forms to align with ease.
This project is part of the Oudong Masterplan proposal for site development in Cambodia. A more people-centric design process places greater priority on accessibility and inclusiveness. Designing healthier places is vital to ensure the future of cities.
About Architectural Engineering Consultants
Founded in 2009, Architectural Engineering Consultants (AEC), offers mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering services to the building design and construction industry.
To learn more about this project or view other projects by Architectural Engineering Consultants, visit AEC.
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