Saturday, October 15, 2016
Amateur architects reimagine fading quarter
Phnom Penh’s old colonial Post Office sits in a sleepy corner of the city just away from the riverside. Its bell, used to mark curfew under the Khmer Rouge, no longer tolls.
In an urban design competition that concluded this week, architecture students from five university programs offered their takes on how to reinvigorate the historic district.
“It is a beautiful place, but now it looks too quiet. So we’ve designed it to be alive,” says Horn Sok, a student at Pannasastra University. His team’s model, which took first place, seeks to bring people back into the square.
In miniature, they have closed the carpark out front to traffic and reimagined it as a courtyard with seats, two movie screens and room for food stalls. Its centrepiece – termed the “Flying Envelope” – is a multipurpose event space with a roof shaped like paper airplane.
The replica is a creative take on a task often left unaddressed in Phnom Penh: re-designing the old to fit the new.
Urban design for public consumption isn’t the priority in the capital, says Pen Sereypagna, an architect who co-organised the contest. “The thing is, in Cambodia, in this industry . . . everything is just focused on private buildings or apartment buildings. There is a lot of development in Phnom Penh,” he says. “But we don’t have enough public space.”
Architecture graduates have little problem finding jobs, but there are few who work as city planners. The Post Office square competition gave them the opportunity. The judges came from a few sectors, including the municipal government. “We see this competition as a way to bring people together and make a dialogue,” Sereypagna says.
One student winner, Hun Sokagna, who received her degree from the Royal University of Fine Arts in August, wants to pursue a career in heritage conservation. Design, she has learned, is about carefully considered intervention.
“Phnom Penh is developing in the wrong way. Buildings are not designed by architects, but engineers,” she says. “I want to develop Cambodia in the right way.”
An exhibition of the winning designs is on at the Community Art Gallery at the Asia Foundation, #59 Street 242.
In an urban design competition that concluded this week, architecture students from five university programs offered their takes on how to reinvigorate the historic district.
“It is a beautiful place, but now it looks too quiet. So we’ve designed it to be alive,” says Horn Sok, a student at Pannasastra University. His team’s model, which took first place, seeks to bring people back into the square.
In miniature, they have closed the carpark out front to traffic and reimagined it as a courtyard with seats, two movie screens and room for food stalls. Its centrepiece – termed the “Flying Envelope” – is a multipurpose event space with a roof shaped like paper airplane.
The replica is a creative take on a task often left unaddressed in Phnom Penh: re-designing the old to fit the new.Urban design for public consumption isn’t the priority in the capital, says Pen Sereypagna, an architect who co-organised the contest. “The thing is, in Cambodia, in this industry . . . everything is just focused on private buildings or apartment buildings. There is a lot of development in Phnom Penh,” he says. “But we don’t have enough public space.”
Architecture graduates have little problem finding jobs, but there are few who work as city planners. The Post Office square competition gave them the opportunity. The judges came from a few sectors, including the municipal government. “We see this competition as a way to bring people together and make a dialogue,” Sereypagna says.
One student winner, Hun Sokagna, who received her degree from the Royal University of Fine Arts in August, wants to pursue a career in heritage conservation. Design, she has learned, is about carefully considered intervention.
“Phnom Penh is developing in the wrong way. Buildings are not designed by architects, but engineers,” she says. “I want to develop Cambodia in the right way.”
An exhibition of the winning designs is on at the Community Art Gallery at the Asia Foundation, #59 Street 242.
New documentary digs deep into the Cambodian psyche, finds hope
For his recent documentary on Cambodia, Angkor Awakens, American filmmaker Robert Lieberman interviewed more than 140 individuals. Dozens made it onto the screen.
The result is an ambitious study of Cambodian politics as it operates within the collective psyche, spread across generations. But the film is aimed primarily at a Western audience, the director says.
Lieberman himself is a character. A physicist who teaches at Cornell University in the US, he’s written several novels and made a handful of films, including the documentary They Call It Myanmar, which drew global praise when it was released in 2012.
“This was a much more complex story,” he says via Skype this week. “Cambodia has a tangled history.”
Angkor Awakens was four years in the making. It arose from a personal interest in the generational effects of genocide – Lieberman is a child of the Holocaust – and it shines in its exploration of inherited trauma, and the dangers of keeping silent.
The result is an ambitious study of Cambodian politics as it operates within the collective psyche, spread across generations. But the film is aimed primarily at a Western audience, the director says.
Lieberman himself is a character. A physicist who teaches at Cornell University in the US, he’s written several novels and made a handful of films, including the documentary They Call It Myanmar, which drew global praise when it was released in 2012.
“This was a much more complex story,” he says via Skype this week. “Cambodia has a tangled history.”Angkor Awakens was four years in the making. It arose from a personal interest in the generational effects of genocide – Lieberman is a child of the Holocaust – and it shines in its exploration of inherited trauma, and the dangers of keeping silent.
ពិធីគោរពវិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធព្រះបរមរតនកោដ្ឋខួប៤ឆ្នាំ
ពិធីគោរពវិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធព្រះបរមរតនកោដ្ឋខួប៤ឆ្នាំ
មន្ត្រីជាន់ខ្ពស់រដ្ឋាភិបាល និងមន្ត្រីស្ថាប័នកំពូលៗជាច្រើននាក់ នៅព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១៥ ខែតុលា នេះ ធ្វើពិធីដាក់កម្រងផ្កា គោរពវិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធព្រះបរមរតនកោដ្ឋ នរោត្ដម សីហនុ គម្រប់ខួប ៤ឆ្នាំនៃថ្ងៃសោយទិវង្គតរបស់ព្រះអង្គ នាព្រះបរមរូប នៅក្បែរវិមានឯករាជ្យ។ លោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន មិនបានចូលរួមក្នុងពិធីនេះទេ។
ព្រះមហាវីរក្សត្រ សម្ដេចព្រះ នរោត្ដម សីហនុ បានសោយទិវង្គតកាលពីថ្ងៃទី១៥ ខែតុលា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ នាទីក្រុងប៉េកាំង ប្រទេសចិន ក្នុងព្រះជន្ម ៩០ព្រះវស្សា។ រដ្ឋាភិបាលបានកំណត់យកថ្ងៃទី១៥ ខែតុលា រៀងរាល់ឆ្នាំ ជាថ្ងៃឈប់សម្រាកក្នុងពិធីគម្រប់ខួបនៃការយាងសោយទិវង្គតព្រះបរមរតនកោដ្ឋ។
'#មានសង្ឃឹមហើយ អ្នកកើតជំងឺគ្រុនពោះវៀនរ៉ាំរៃ និងលាប់គ្រុនពោះវៀន
'#មានសង្ឃឹមហើយ អ្នកកើតជំងឺគ្រុនពោះវៀនរ៉ាំរៃ និងលាប់គ្រុនពោះវៀន
ជួយ share ចែករំលែកបន្តផងមិនអស់លុយទេដូចជាការធ្វើបុណ្យផងដែរ!
ជួយ share ចែករំលែកបន្តផងមិនអស់លុយទេដូចជាការធ្វើបុណ្យផងដែរ!
ន្លឹក បុកឲ្យម៉ដ្ឋលាយជាមួយទឹកដូង១ផ្លែ ហើយច្រោះយកកាកចេញ រួចហូបទឹកនេះឲ្យអស់សម្រាប់១ថ្ងៃ។
ហូបបាន៥ថ្ងៃទៅ១អាទិត្យលោកអ្នកនឹងបានជាសះស្បើយ និងព្យាបាលលាប់គ្រុនពោះវៀនទៀតផង។
ហូបបាន៥ថ្ងៃទៅ១អាទិត្យលោកអ្នកនឹងបានជាសះស្បើយ និងព្យាបាលលាប់គ្រុនពោះវៀនទៀតផង។
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