Project Statement

The project site, Prek Takong 1, is located in northern Boeung Tompun Lake, once Phnom Penh’s second-largest lake. Due to land reclamation, the lake’s area has drastically shrunk, causing severe ecological degradation and flooding risks for the nearby community. With limited drainage infrastructure, flood severity has worsened annually. ArcGIS analysis reveals major inundation zones and flow directions, with three key flood entry points on the western waterfront. Based on this, a spatial grid guides the planning of buildings, water systems, and agriculture. The landscape strategy integrates indigenous ecological wisdom to manage floods, preserve local culture, and promote coexistence with water.

Project Narrative

Project background:

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is low-lying. Due to lake filling and urban expansion, wetlands have been reduced and floods have intensified. The site community Prek Takong 1 is adjacent to Boeung Tompun Lake (formerly the second largest lake in Phnom Penh). After the lake filling, flood disasters have worsened, threatening residents' lives and ecology.

Strategy:

Strategy 1: Vanguard Barrier

On the outside of the flood intrusion entrance, mangrove wetlands are created and plant protection belts are established. In the dry season, floating houses are scattered in various places in the wetland to carry out various production activities. During the rainy season, houses are evacuated and concentrated in safe areas near the shore. Three types of flood control facilities are set up after the wetland to intercept some floods from entering the community: 1) Stagnation Weir - Use indigenous red soil stone and permeable materials to build weirs to block and filter floods, and the water that passes smoothly flows into canals and other water storage facilities for storage and utilization; 2) Terraced Fields - Farmland itself has the function of regulating and storing, combined with indigenous crops such as deep water rice and floating rice, it can effectively retain floods; 3) Ecological Shoreline - Combine special structured stones to build a gravel flood control belt, followed by ecological wooden pile revetments, and special stones can create animal and plant habitats to protect biodiversity.

Strategy 2: The domain of regulation

A community water network is built around the structural grid to divert and regulate the uninterrupted floods, and the community buildings are divided into multiple groups. Each group has an indigenous square reservoir, which is not only a place for regulation and storage, but also a place for local religious and cultural activities. There are various family agriculture and water storage facilities in the building group. Part of the floodwater flows into the farmland inside and can continue to be used, and the other part of the floodwater is filtered and stored in the water storage tank of the building. The building form is mainly stilt buildings. The first floor can be used as storage and breeding space. The rainy season will not affect the normal life of the second floor. The rainwater from the eaves of the building will be collected in the canal between the buildings for the next step of storage and utilization.

Strategy 3: Aquatic trap

After the previous strategy to resist and regulate the flood, the farmland area between the building groups is further expanded, and the water system and stored floodwater are used for major production activities. Through runoff analysis, the non-waterfront area on the north side of the community is crossed by a main runoff channel. Therefore, a small river channel is designed on the runoff route, which can not only play a role in drainage in the rainy season, but also store and utilize part of the floodwater. The rainwater gardens on both sides can filter the water flowing into the river channel. The river channel connects to the largest central pool in the community and is the center for cultural festivals.

Imagination:

Our goal is to create a flood-resilient community, and through the integration of indigenous wisdom and modern design, make floods a sustainable resource for ecology, agriculture and culture.