The Commune

The Commune is a mid-density development in which a communal sensibility is strategically constructed via its clustered design. Though an initial brief called for a high-density tower within Phnom Penh’s low-lying context, the design flips the script to create a cluster of six smaller buildings instead – better reflecting the city’s established communal typology. Here, The Commune preserves the exclusivity of its address with a unique traditional/ contemporary profile, while simultaneously investing in the formation of a shared neighbourhood within its compound.

Using traditional Cambodian villages as reference, the circular grain of the development is constructed around a central courtyard, ripe with local fruit trees. This serves as a shared space for residents and eliminates the relentless feel of anonymous corridors familiar to most high-density towers. Instead, a curated arrival experience is established so that every resident returns home through an open courtyard.

The project is intentionally porous at the ground level, with open spaces and gardens littered between residential units. However, each unit is cocooned with screens and louvres – another nod to local ingenuity – empowering each resident to augment their level of privacy and ventilation as is preferred. As a cluster of individual dwellings rather than a faceless block, the Commune resident is empowered to retain the individuality of each distinct unit.