Kouk Khleang Youth Center is located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The youth center is operated by two Cambodian organizations Cambodian Volunteers for Society (CVS) and Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and Development Association (KKKHRDA). The aim of the organization is to provide the underpriviliged Cambodian youth with possibilities for education, work and societal activities and the priviliged youth with possibilties for volunteerism.
Honorable Mention | RTFA 2014 Awards
Category: Public Building Built
Participant Name: Elina Tenho
Country: Finland
The aim of the bulding project was to provide the organizations with a functional, flexible and beautiful building to support their admirable work. To provide them with a building they can be proud. The aim was to engage both the future users of the building and the people from the surrounding community in the design process to make the building as suitable for its use and surroundings as possible, learn about the local habits from them and to give all the people involved a sense of pride and ownership over the building.
Another aim was to create a socially, culturally and ecologically sustainable building and to use local, low carbon materials and use simple techniques and technologies to reduce the carbon footprint and energy use of the building.
A third aim was to promote environmentally sustainable building practices and the use of ecological materials suitable for the Cambodian culture and climate through interaction with local students of architecture and engineering and organizing workshops and lectures. In addition to the building itself our wish was to leave as much of the knowledge we gained during the project to the future professionals and future users of the building.
