Student Workshop March 2010: SUSTAINABLE SHELTER
The workshop was held 2-12 March 2010 at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) with architecture students from Helsinki University of Technology in Finland, as well as local students from RUFA, Norton, Limkokwing, Cambodia Mekong, and Pannasastra universities. The workshop explored what adequate housing means in Cambodia and gave students an insight into life for urban poor communities.
This year, organised for the third year running, participants visited urban poor communities under threat of eviction, communities living in relocation sites, new housing developments, as well as explore Khmer architecture
more generally. In addition there was a design competition for local students, where participants were asked to design a house for a family living in Trapeang Krasang relocation site for under US$1,000 (funded courtesy of Habitat for Humanity). There were 10 entries to the competition and the winning entry by Kanika and Huot from Pannasastra was selected by the beneficiary family and has been constructed on site. Trapang Krasang relocation site is some 27 km outside of Phnom Penh, created following the evictions in Sambok Chap community in central Phnom Penh in May 2006.
Workshop timetable (key dates):
March 2
8.00am: opening of workshop
2.00pm: local students unveil competition design
March 4
8.30am: Design competition finale
March 5
8.30am: Building of winning design begins
March 11
8.30am (Full day): presentations by visiting architects and students
March 12
8.00am: unveiling of completed house in Trapeang Krasang