Cambodia has unveiled a brand new mixed-use technology and community hub built inside a former industrial factory, a project that is the first of its kind in the country.
Factory Phnom Penh is located on 3.4 hectares of land, and includes over 16 buildings that were previously used as an old garment factory. It currently stands as Cambodia’s largest co-working space, and includes a number of art galleries, a trampoline park, a gymnasium, a café and a cantina serving Asian fusion food. The campus features over 30 murals showcasing a mix of local and international artists, and the factory also has a dedicated artist residence programme designed to give creatives short-term access to the spaces in order to facilitate their process.
Currently the site has a pop-up green space that is soon to host some fast food vendors, kid-friendly swings, and water fountains. “Visitors are welcome to explore our beautiful art walls, hidden alleys, the country’s largest skateboard park, and even a beer brewery (where soon, there will be a beer museum and beer-testing),” a representative of Factory Phnom Penh said.
The design itself was inspired by the former garment factory and the aim was to keep an industrial sense of place. Workspace 1 is a large co-working space that offers a number of different packages to those needing an office, including a day pass (complete with a hot desk and access to showers, kitchenette and lockers), a part-time membership, a fixed desk and a team desk.
“This project is the first large-scale adaptive reuse in Cambodia. It is part of a five-hectare industrial site to be transformed into more community-oriented programs. As architects, we believe it will show the potential of reusing existing structures in the city instead of demolishing them. There were a lot of similar projects in Thailand but none yet in Cambodia,” Antoine Meinnel, founder of Bloom Architects who designed the project told Lonely Planet.
More information on Factory Phnom Penh is available at the official website.
