Blog : Cambodia

The Colonial Style in Cambodia
livingasean

The Colonial Style in Cambodia

The colonial style is apparent, but most of the buildings were designed with appropriate adaptations to fit in with the hot and humid climate.

/ Phnom Penh, Cambodia /

/ Story & Photograph: Virak Roeun /

1

2

3
The “Place de la Poste” Square with the Cambodia Post building in background
4
Neoclassical features on the front façade of Cambodia Post Building

The French colonial style of architecture is apparent, but most of the buildings were designed with appropriate adaptations to fit in with the hot and humid climate. They included design features, décor ideas, and ornaments well suited for the local environment, examples of which are obvious on the façade of the Postal Service Building. Built in 1895, Cambodia Post showcases wooden louver windows and doors, high ceilings and solid brick walls designed to keep the heat out. Opposite it stands the former Hotel Manolis, where Monsieur André Malraux, a celebrated novelist and first minister of culture of France, stayed in the 1920s. Since 1979 it has become a private residence. The Cambodia Post building looks extraordinarily good on a grand scale, but the abandoned Central Police Commissariat nearby is probably more elaborate in design. Its exterior appears to be neglected, but inside, the corridors and the rooms are never directly exposed to the elements and the heat.

5
The former Hotel Manolis exhibits an architectural style prevalent during the French colonial era.
6
Terraced houses reminiscent of old-world Europe lie opposite the Manolis.
7
An original wooden staircase inside the Manolis
8
A room number plate stands the test of time at the former hotel Manolis.
9
The former water tank of the hotel Manolis
10
Original tile flooring at the Manolis tells a story of its long and arduous journey through time.
11
Vendors set up shop in front of the abandoned Central Police Commissariat in Phnom Penh.
12
Mirror images of design details are evident throughout this building from colonial era.

 

 

13
The entrance to the former Bank of Indochina

Le Bibliotheque, Cambodia’s national library is situated on Daun Penh Avenue, next to the luxurious Raffles Hotel Le Royal. The sights of beautifully crafted columns, porticos, and pediments evoke images of French neoclassical architecture in years past. Adapted to blend well in a new environment, the library building showcases locally inspired ornamentation rather than Greek influences. There are also traces of styles that characterize Art Deco architecture that followed in later periods, examples of which included reinforced concrete buildings adapted for better ventilation. The Psar Thmei, or Central Market is one of them. The market is not only interesting in terms of design, but has always been a vibrant and bustling commercial address right to this day.

14
The National Library
15
The Bibliotheque showcases French neoclassical architecture adapted to include locally inspired ornamentation on every column.
16
The Royal Railway Station
17
Parabolic arches built of reinforced concrete support the passenger terminal at the train station.
18
The railway platform awaits the arrival of the next train.
19
An entryway to the Psar Thmei central market
20
Shop fronts before opening hours
21
Oculus design culminates at the apex of the dome protecting the Psar Thmei central market.

The walking map of central Phnom Penh by KATours, a non-profit organization, is downloadable online here. Give it a try next time you are in Phnom Penh. It’s really useful if you like these buildings and their past glory days.

Reference

  • The History of Cambodia, From the French Colonial Period until the Present Day, Part 1 by Vandy Kaonn
  • The French Presence in Cochinchina and Cambodia by Milton E. Osborne
  • Modern Khmer Cities by Vann Molyvann
  • KATours internal documents describing the Post Office by Ester van der Laan
  • The Phnom Penh Map in the 1920s from the Library of Congress
  • The Master Plan of Phnom Penh 1925
Vann Molyvann: The Forgotten Masterpieces of Phnom Penh
livingasean

Vann Molyvann: The Forgotten Masterpieces of Phnom Penh

/ Phnom Penh, Cambodia /

/ Story: Jeremiah Pitakwong / Photographs: Samutcha Viraporn, Damrong Leewairoj /

There is more to Cambodia than Angkor Wat. Phnom Penh itself is a city with a legacy from its glorious days. Many may have lost in time. But some remain; including the architectural buildings designed by Vann Molyvann.

The Royal University of Phnom Penh's library building. Exterior pillars support the building weight (no pillars inside). The building is surrounded by a pond containing raindrops from a gutter.
The Royal University of Phnom Penh’s library building is surrounded by a pond. The building weight relies mainly on the exterior pillar.

 

The Institute of Foreign Languages's meeting room. The floor is elevated and the roof helps tackle with the heat.
The Institute of Foreign Languages’s meeting room. The floor is elevated and the roof helps tackle with the heat.

Phnom Penh is equipped with a great city-planning. Temples and palaces in the city have a hint of Southeast Asian style component incorporated with French colonial architecture. Although parts of these heritages are deteriorated, their good old days can still shone through.

Among high-rise buildings and growing villages indicating Cambodia’s improving economy, old and valuable buildings are neglected as the government and foreign investors prefer the “Modern” which suggests “Prosperity” rather than renovating its old ones.

However, old doesn’t mean out. Vann Molyvann, has designed “Modern” principal buildings since the 1960s.

Vann Molyvann was born in 1926. He was granted the scholarship from Cambodian government to study architecture at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in France, where many modern architects are nurtured.  After the graduation, he served as a State Architect in 1956 and also played an important role for a period.

11
The lifted walkway in the back gives a shade to the pathway below.
Details of light boxes a roof and a facade of the Institute of Foreign Languages group of buildings
Details of light boxes a roof and a facade of the Institute of Foreign Languages group of buildings

His significant works was designed and built within 1974; The National Theater (later torn down), the National Sports Complex (a.k.a. Olympic Stadium), the Institute of Foreign Languages inside the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Chaktomuk Conference Hall (renovated). All of his works could be considered as modern and would definitely be treated as national treasures if they were in Europe.

Since the government policies regarding these building are unknown, their futures are uncertain. For those who have an urge for a modern building, a quick sightseeing trip to the remaining site is highly recommended. Also, don’t forget to check out www.ka-tours.org where you can book a private architecture tour in Cambodia conducted by Cambodian architecture students.

The exterior of the National Sports Complex.
The exterior of the National Sports Complex.

02

A yellow transparent fiberglass partition at the entrance and a gutter below.
A yellow transparent fiberglass partition at the entrance and a gutter below.

 

Vann Molyvann has designed a proper ventilation system for a tropical climate.
Vann Molyvann has designed a proper ventilation system for a tropical climate.

 

An area inside the stadium and a press observation deck overlooks the amphitheater.
An area inside the stadium and a press observation deck overlooks the amphitheater.

 

09

06

 

Details of the indoor stadium roof.
Details of the indoor stadium roof.

At the age of 89, Van Molyvann has returned from his fugitive in France and now living in Siam Reap. While many might have already forgotten about his iconic buildings, it is safe to say his pages in the history will never be erased.

X