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"The Lung of Phnom Penh"

Part 1 Project 2014
Maya Laitinen
 Architectural Association London | UK
The Lung of Phnom Penh is a speculative urban and architectural intervention utilising the idea of the vertical dwelling to respond to land-ownership issues in the Cambodian capital. The project is set on the site once occupied by the Boeung Kak Lake, which until recently played a significant role as the city’s natural drainage system and as a water source for the 4,000 families living around it. However, land-speculation pressure for a luxury residential skyscraper scheme has prompted developers to fill Boeung Kak with tonnes of sand from nearby rivers. Thousands have been displaced as a result and are now fighting for a sliver of the conceded 15 hectares – a mere 12 per cent – of the land they once called home.

This project radically reconsiders what is to be allocated to the community, suggesting an even lesser figure of habitable ground area: three per cent. Here, air space is utilised to envision floating vertical possibilities of living, working and adapting to an environment that includes the proposed towers. The scheme creates a new residential and public axis in the city by inserting programmes based on urban farming and water infrastructure in order to link Phnom Penh’s important green areas with a cooling park and vegetable markets.

Above these spaces rise inflatable elements, inspired by Cambodian houses on stilts, which offer mobility and flexibility while providing shade for plants and cooling the environment for residents below. In dry winters, dwellings can move high above ground level, allowing space for the vegetable market, public park and water storage. During monsoon season the structures seal together to prevent flooding. The additional planting of an urban bamboo forest fertilises the ground and links two important green zones in the city while generating surplus building material. By supporting the displaced community with a living space and a livelihood, the project also re-establishes an open dialogue with the city through its creation of changing seasonal public spaces for all. Although it hangs in the air, the Lung of Phnom Penh proposes a resilient space that strengthens the area’s rural past and helps residents discover a new nature – one whose lake is the sky.

Maya Laitinen
Tutor(s)
2014
‘If you have nothing left but air, can you use it to build?’
Under the Khmer Rouge a quarter of the country’s citizens were killed, cities were abandoned for years and all land-ownership papers were burned. It is only recently that Cambodia has begun to rebuild and plan into the future. Yet corruption continues, as
In 2007 Boeung Kak Lake was bought by an investment company, which forced the 4,000 families living nearby to abandon their homes. Between 2008–13 the lake was filled with sand and is today a desert land and investment site in the city.
Diagram, before and after – the Boeung Kak Lake was an important part of the natural drainage system in the city, which gets flooded every year by the Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers. Filling the lake means the city will experience severe problems with surfac
Due to pressure from the World Bank, the displaced communities living around the lake have now been given 12 per cent (15 hectares) of the filled lake land located on the side of the development plan. The project proposes an alternative site where residen
The site punctures the new development on the lake with a public green park under floating balloons. This ‘green line’ connects important areas in the city to function as an essential ‘High Line’ for Phnom Penh. Pools provide water for the plants and resi
Growing bamboo on-site fertilises the dry sandy ground and provides building material for a scaffolding structure. Market shops hang from the floating balloons, rising up and down with fresh vegetables to sell.
Sketchbook development – finding the design was a process of researching the site as well as Cambodia’s building technology, culture and traditions.
Study of the traditional Cambodian house – its elevated type is well adapted to the drastic seasonal environmental changes (with floods in summer and severe drought in winter). The shaded areas under the house are used for working and storing materials.
Diagram studies showing a vertically organised spatial hierarchy. Water ponds are dug into the ground and bamboo scaffolding supports the plants. A public bamboo walkway leads the visitors through the park, under the more private residential area hanging
The living units must be light tensile structures to avoid exceeding weight limitations. When a house is hanging from the sky, a vertical hierarchy is developed. ‘Sky ladders’ go through the centre of the home.
The idea of using air as a structural element was further investigated through model-making, prototyping and manual testing. By heating the air inside an enclosed mylar membrane, the hot air rises and creates an ascending lift.
Prototype test and environmental diagrams – by changing the heat in the hot air balloons one can regulate the height and lift of the structure, closing the ‘balloon roof’ during the rainy season and opening it up during the dry season to allow for more su
Experiments with different pattern and sewing techniques resulted in several prototypes of inflatable air structures. Regulating the airflow going inside the fabric pockets causes the structure to pulsate.
The structure offers an alternative typology in the city, where levels are constantly moving and people inhabit a floating life. Creating a cooler environment and shade from the strong sun, plants can grow freely on the ground, inviting people into the Lu
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