Prominent Cambodian Architect Dies at 91

• 2 October 2017
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Vann Molyvann, Cambodia’s best known architect and the shaping influence behind the New Architecture movement has passed away aged 91. The nation’s design master died on 28 September, 2017 in Siem Reap province where he had made his home for the last three years.

Born in 1926 in Kampot province, Vann Molyvann has long been considered the most prolific architect in Cambodia. Having had successfully passed the Bacc II at Preah Sisowath high school in 1944, he was awarded a scholarship to study in France two years later.

He studied architecture at the School of Fine Arts in Paris and returned to his homeland just after Cambodia gained independence in 1956 to be appointed by Prince Norodom Sihanouk as a State Architect.

Molyvann was best known for pioneering the New Khmer Architecture school of design, which combined modernist concepts with ancient themes.

He designed and oversaw completion of some of the most iconic projects ever undertaken in the nation. His landmark works include the Independence Monument (1958), Royal University of Phnom Penh (1960), Olympic Stadium (1964), and the Preah Suramarit National Theatre (1966).

The master may be gone, but his legacy will continue to live on.