Us-based Firm Submits Proposal for Affordable Housing Project in Cambodia

• 11 December 2018
• Local News
• 2013 Views

Affordable housing has become one of Cambodia’s most important issues in addressing housing shortages, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently laid out a design competition for a 3,000 unit affordable housing project for low-income factory workers.

US-based architectural firm qastic lab has participated in the competition with a design concept that is suitable for the construction climate in Cambodia.

According to Designboom, this planning project includes the use of local construction techniques, available materials, climate sustainability consideration, energy usage savings and the overall desirable low cost of the project.

The design plan uses a central concrete column as a structure that can hold the four slab floors of each unit allowing for maximum and adaptable space usage.

According to Designboom, the main concept for this project is the response to two key questions, including: 1) how design can control the cost of the construction for the 3,000 units of 40 square metres in the tropical and flood hazardous climate of Phnom Penh?, and 2) how the cost of living can be controlled in such climate for the factory workers — the building users?

To be able to manage the cost for the construction project, qastic lab proposed the idea of creating four-floor ‘tree houses’. In this sense, the central column with 3 metres the cantilever on each side would support four concrete slabs which would then be used as the ground for the building brick wall for an arched roof.

The arched roof is attached with solar panels, which will be the main geometric for each unit, in which in this case can create additional surfaces to absorb sunlight. Additionally, the company designs each home with privacy for each family, whereby each house will not face each other providing enough ventilation for each unit.

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