Work starts on Pyle Architects’ Cambodia library
The 2,800sq m Hun Sen library extension, named after Cambodia’s prime minister, has been developed by the London practice’s office in Phnom Penh headed by practice founder Geoff Pyle.
22 April, 2010
By Anna Winston
BDonline.co.uk
Construction work is underway on Pyle Architects’ £1.3 million library for the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
The 2,800sq m Hun Sen library extension, named after Cambodia’s prime minister, has been developed by the London practice’s office in Phnom Penh headed by practice founder Geoff Pyle.
The extension will more than double the size of the existing library building, which was built in the early 1990s, and create a new entrance.
Large double-glazed openings in the building will create spaces with clear views of the landscape while withstanding Cambodia’s seasonal weather extremes.
Areas of louvres provide permanent natural ventilation, and the north and south elevations feature heavy shading to deal with strong solar gain.
Funding for the scheme has been provided by a grant from the World Bank as part of the Cambodia Education Sector Support Project.
But the grant does not cover the building’s operating costs, so it has been designed to require minimal electrical services, with ramps replacing lifts and selective air conditioning. Air from the undercroft of the building will be used to help cool internal spaces.
It is due for completion in early 2011.
Pyle has also set up an organisation with local students and architects to provide tours of Cambodia’s 1960s architecture. For more information visit http://www.ka-tours.org/
