Project description by jury

Encompassing 353 hectares of land and 121 investment companies, the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ), in Cambodia, suffers from inadequate accommodation facilities for the 17,000-plus factory workers that live on site. Home Within House is a social housing project of 3,000 units for these workers and their families in the PPSEZ. Each dwelling is part of a cluster, which is formed by the alternating pattern of voids and solids, ensuring courtyards – one more private and one shared with the neighbors – on both sides of each 35m2 apartment. At the end of each cluster, double-height volumes contain passageways and common facilities, including shops, bike racks, and childcare that all assist in creating an inclusive environment. 

The layout of the homes is kept simple with no permanent partitions or offsets so as to allow both for flexibility of use and efficiency of the space. From an environmental standpoint, the design adopts a series of passive strategies including solar shading, natural lighting and cross ventilation to minimize energy consumption for cooling and lighting while ensuring the comfort of the occupants. Construction materials consist mainly of locally sourced bricks and concrete, which guarantees a robust structural system. More than half of the site is allocated to regenerating forests where tree plantations help to counter the rise in CO2 and enhance community amenity.

Jury appraisal

The LafargeHolcim Awards jury Asia Pacific praised this thoughtful proposal for the manner in which it addresses the serious issue of worker’s condition in Cambodian Special Economic Zones. The design of the suggested housing complex was considered simple yet well-balanced in terms of space distribution and programmatic aspect. Well contextualized and aesthetically pleasing, the resulting architecture represents a benchmark for labor accommodation projects in South East Asia for the way in which it reconciles affordability and livability through a human-centered design perspective.