A
low-cost accomodation proposal for Cambodian high school students.
The design is premised on the vernacular Cambodian dwelling of a
single family room on stilts, a familiar setting away from home.
The Puok Hostel is designed for the accommodation of forty students in dormitories of four, arranged in two parallel blocks, flanking an oblong courtyard. Following traditional Khmer customs, the living areas are raised up and accessed from a gallery, opening up shaded, naturally ventilated spaces below for rest and leisure activities.
The front of the complex provides for caretaker accommodation and cooking and dining facilities. The rear part is taken up by lavatory and shower blocks. The dining area projects beyond the front wall of the hostel and opens onto the street. In this way, it can be used additionally as a cafe or simple souvenir shop for a nearby tourist attraction.
The materials are a combination of traditional Cambodian (timber, bamboo matting) and modern/Western (brick, corrugated iron). The brick base provides solidity and a degree of security while the lightly-built upper storey takes into account the hot, humid Cambodian climate for natural ventilation.
The design aims to retain a degree of familiarity for the occupants by employing a number of vernacular Khmer materials and strategies whilst pushing beyond the spatial and compositional boundaries of the traditional house. The Puok Hostel can also serve as a template for local-style accommodation for backpackers and other independent travellers.
The project is being fundraised for by Cambodia Craft, for further information on the project see the facebook site for Cambodia Craft.
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