Life is a Breeze in this Siem Reap Home
In realising this new home for a Cambodian couple, UAD Architects drew inspiration from the ancient ideas of Angkor Wat, and the result is a remarkable breeze-filled residence that combines nature, modernism and serenity
Mengly Khuth and Visal Nuon are the co-founders and principals of UAD Architects, a Siem Reap-based practice that recently completed work on its second home renovation project, The Breeze House. UAD stands for 'Urbanism, Architecture and Detailing', the three core elements that Khuth and Nuon feel represent the dynamic and complex interaction that every architect should study. The architects themselves are both graduates of Cambodia's famed Royal University of Fine Arts, which was founded over a century ago as the École des Arts Cambodgiens. In 2018, they combined talents and established UAD, though surprisingly they chose to set up shop in quiet Siem Reap over construction-heavy Phnom Penh.
‘We love Siem Reap,’ Nuon says. ‘It's the home of the ancient city of Angkor, renowned for its sophisticated architecture, but also for its remarkable engineering, like massive water management networks. By having the office close by, we’re constantly inspired.’ Khuth explains that the firm’s guiding principles are to create buildings that are inspired by nature, climate, social context and culture. In practical terms, this means simplistic style, clean spaces and incorporation of foliage.
The firm’s first home renovation project was the Tropical Garden House, completed in 2019, for which they transformed a traditional Cambodian wooden stilt house into a modern tropical home through the construction of a contemporary brick-clad addition, the two conjoined by an elevated glass walkway. Their most recent project is the Breeze House, which was completed in 2020. Nuon says that the homeowners had certain specific requests: a place to sit near a water feature, which required the architects to consider how to balance openness and privacy, an open-plan design that would allow the residents to view most of the house, and an accessible rooftop where they could farm produce, one of their hobbies. ‘We first asked the client how he wanted to feel in his home,’ says Khuth. ‘He explained to us how he experiences each different room and its function, and we translated this back into our architecture.’
The house is built mainly from brick and stone, sturdy materials chosen for their suitability to the local climate and which work as effective protection against both heavy rain and sunlight. The design also responded to the many pre-existing trees on site, which became a backbone of the design concept. Conceived to promote the experience of spaces, the building crosses the boundary between the interior and exterior by opening completely to an airy tropical garden, which helps create a serene atmosphere.
Now that the project is complete, the owner's favourite space in the house has become the central light well, where he’s able to sit, take in the view and preside over his new home. For Khuth and Nuon though, the reward is the ability to finally be able to enjoy their finished architecture and the special combination of spatial quality, geometric relationship and surrounding environment that distinguishes their work.
Text / Simon Ostheimer
Images / Oudompheaktra Ang
