13.02.2014
Six young Finnish students of architecture forming the Komitu- workgroup have designed and realized a youth centre in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. The recently completed building has been on display as part of the “Our City Festival” focusing on city culture. The exhibition and the ecological building materials used in the youth centre, have aroused a large interest and inspired local architects.
Ecological sustainability is one of the most important design principals within the Komity workgroup. Bamboo, brick and recycled plastic bottles have been used when constructing the youth centre.
‘Congratulations to the Komu architects. This project is very important to the Cambodians and many are proud of it’. These were some of the comments made by the Cambodian architect Sokly Yam.
‘We wanted to remind the Cambodians of the traditional, local building materials, such as the durability and beauty of bamboo. We also presented other ecological construction means’, said Elina Tenho, part of the working group. The Komitu work group has organised lectures and workshops about ecological construction and invited local students to participate.
‘We have learned a lot during this process and we wanted to share the knowledge with future local construction professionals. There is already one group of students, inspired by our project, who has realised a teaching centre made of bamboo and started training local builders in the art of using bamboo as a building material ,‘ says Elina Tenho.
The Komitu work group consists of Noora Aaltonen (1983), Sisko Hovila (1984), Tuuli Kassi (1982), Maiju Suomi (1984), Elina Tenho (1985) and Inari Virkkala (1984). Komitu is part of the Ukumbi registered association, offering architectural services to the less privileged. The youth centre project emerged in 2010 when a course concerning Cambodia was held at Aalto University Department of Architecture.
Press package at: http://sdrv.ms/1fXjGuC
More information regarding the youth centre at: www.komituarchitects.org
and Elina Tenho elina.tenho [at] gmail [dot] com (elina.tenho@gmail.com)
Our City-festival: http://ourcityfestival.org/2014/ocfwebsite/
