Phnom Penh National Sports Complex (1964) Research Design

RMIT BACHELOR OF INTERIOR DESIGN YEAR 3 SEMESTER 1 Theory and Research for Design 006461

PHNOM PENH NATIONAL SPORTS COMPLEX (1964) VANN MOLYVANN

Cover Photo curtesy of ‘Uncube’.

Reference: Uncube 2015, Light flooding into the interior of the indoor hall today: showing the genius of Vann Molyvann’s architecture. Film still from the forthcoming documentary “The Man Who Built Cambodia”, viewed 17 May 2018, <http:// www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/15359429>.

prepared by angkeaneath kong

contents

overview

01

study collage

02

observation 03 notice 04 first stage

05

second stage 06 third stage

07

development

08

outcome

09

bibliography

10

Figure 1: Vann Molyvann who is known as the father of New Khmer Architecture (Somoul 2017).

During the 1950s and 1960s were known as Cambodiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golden Age. Vannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architectural masterpieces were built during the age including the Independence Monument, Chaktomuk Conference Hall, the Councils of Ministry, Preah Suramarit National Theatre, the Institute of Foreign Language and the National Sports Complex (Somoul 2017).

Phnom Penh, lies on the bank of major rivers, Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac, floods gradually during the monsoon season. That is the reason Vann Molyvann applied the Cambodia weather into his design. In the mean time, this folio content focuses on Phnom Penh National Sports Complex, the Khmer architecture that combines mostly Angkor architectural system with the modernist movement.

This folio as well explores through the design of openings that allows natural light comes into the space.

01 II design research

overview

The National Sports Complex considers as one of Vannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masterpieces and noted to be influenced by Angkor architectural system and the use of modernist elements.

The collage on the left is the starting point of my research. It is the combination of the stadium interior and Angkor interior to see the relationship between the two architectures.

Figure 2: study collage.

02 II design research

study collage

I began to do the research on Angkor temple. Vann stated a statement about using the elements of Angkor to the design of the National Sports Complex; one of those was the louvred window that stands in the Angkor interior, he took the method and applied into space interior. The reason was to bring in natural light and it was function as the air ventilation to cool the space.

“Using the elements from ancient temples of Angkor and paying particular attention to the problem of flooding and extreme heat that Cambodia endures.” (Brookes 2007).

Figure 3: Louvred window in Angkor Temple sketch.

“Louvred wall, which keeps heat out but allow light in, reference the ancient temple.” (Brookes 2007).

“The most important thing is to find what the site suggests, what it provokes in the imagination.... that’s what important. It’s not about copying what has been done, but instead to create form from the past to something entirely new.” - Vann Molyvann (Traverso 2017).

Figure 4: The National Sports Complex indoor arena sketch.

The models that situated on the right are made out of clay and sticks. They referenced the seating openings of the stadium. These were my starting point of the upcoming development. Through the making of these, I found that this one simple shape of modernist Khmer architect, Vann Molyvann adopted it in a practical way.

Figure 5: The study model, mimic the National Sports Complex indoor arena.

03 II design research

observation

FIgure 6: The National Sports Complex indoor arena (Gibson 2016).

Figure 7: Light flooding into the interior of the indoor hall today: showing the genius of Vann Molyvann’s architecture. Film still from the forthcoming documentary “The Man Who Built Cambodia” (Uncube 2015).

Vann Molyvann applied the louvred windows technique from the Angkor architecture onto the design of the stadium interior seatings. The main functions of this structure were to bring natural lights into the space and bring in air to cool down the crowds.

As I looked into the space, I became interested in the idea of light through the seats; the openings did bring in light to the entire space without electricity during the daytime. I spent quite a few hours looking at different angles of this lighting that came into the National Sports Complex. The site communicated to me that the openings suggested different density of light.

04 II design research

notice

Figure 8: The sketch study of light density from the National Sports Complex openings.

Figure 9: Composition.

The openings did suggest the different density of light that interested me. Therefore, I took part of the structure and mimic through drawing on figure 8, captured the unbalanced light between the taken four seating rows (the illustration on the left). Moving on from the sketch and observation of light, I then saw the potential of the sketch as three-dimensional space; I imagined the lighter shades play as the background, where the darker shades act as the foreground in a space. So, the illustration on the right is the composition by taking the elements and positioning them from the foreground to the background; I also played around with the sizes of the geometric shape and placed them in landscape and portrait.

05 II design research

first stage

Figure 10: Sketches.

Since the collage of the shape, I then started to sketch possible ways of positioning them.

Figure 11: Overlayed collages.

As I thought, not only sketches will be way of expressing ideas but the collages as well. The collages were derive from the idea of Composition in figure 9, I printed out my sketch study of light density (figure 8), laid and played around on a piece of paper and photographed the compositions that were relevant to move forward. The collages involved layering, tossing, and tilting the base paper.

06 II design research

second stage

There was one thing run into my mind without knowing why. However, what if I viewed the lighter shades as translucent panels that bring in light, darker shades as solid panels played as shades, then positioned them in different angles. I then went on Photoshop and created this model out of my mind, I imagined this as an interior with the panels of 2.5 or 3 metres in height.

Figure 12: Positioning and extruding.

Figure 13: Model positioning.

I also went further off through making the model out of cardboard and acrylic.

07 II design research

third stage

Figure 14: Development of the collages.

I went on with the collages on Photoshop. I felt that I went a bit off from the shades and tones of the rectangular shape. I stopped and came back and did another version of collaging. This time, my intension was to challenge the shapes into interior space. I overlaid them on each other and the two above were the results.

08 II design research

development

Figure 15: First outcome.

Figure 16: Second outcome.

Figure 17: Third outcome.

Figure 18: Fourth outcome.

The two photos on figure14, I felt that they were too flat in term of interior. I took the advantage of the facade, went into Photoshop and copied them into two, one as the left facade wall and another was the right facade wall as seen in figure 15. As you may notice or not, I made a mistake on figure 15, with the dark shade came out of from above, but it did give me the clue of developing it into figure 16, the possible angular and weird interior with the roof extended from the shapes themselves. Also I applied the light cause I saw the potential of lighter shades as openings that referenced Vann Molyvannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rectangular opening from indoors arena.

Figure 17, the difference is the roof structure. I borrowed the vertical structure of Vann Molyvannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indoor National Sports Complex structure and applied them onto my work. Whereas, the last illustration (figure 18), I went back to the idea of extruding the shapes into the space in figure 13.

The below model is the part I took from figure 18 and translated onto the model.

Overall, I focused on the rectangular shape under seats as the element from Vannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indoors openings. Then, tested and played around, the result did get me further into thinking about how the shape will work through making and testing. I have learned that the simple rectangular structure built up a strong building and work in a practical way in the space.

Figure 19: Modeling fourth outcome.

09 II design research

outcome

bibliography

Brookes, S. 2007, ‘Cambodian Modern: The Architectural Legacy of Vann Molyvann’, Most of the Shebang journalism, photography and other quixotic pursuits by Stephen Brookes blog, blog, viewed 20 April 2018, <http:// www.stephenbrookes.com/new-writing/2007/12/31/cambodian-modern-the-architectural-legacy-of-vann-molyvann.html>.

Gibson, E. 2016, Modernist Stadium in Cambodia Captured in New Photos by Virgile Simon Bertrand, DeZeen, published on 13 September 2016, viewed 17 May 2018, <https://www.dezeen.com/2016/09/13/the-nationalsports-complex-phnom-penh-1964-vann-molyvann-virgile-simon-bertrand/>.

Somoul, Socheat 2017, ‘The Father of New Khmer Architecture”, Vann Molyvann, Passed Away This Morning’, CamSocial News, 28 September 2017, viewed 17 May 2018, <https://www.camsocial.news/the-father-of-newkhmer-architecture-vann-molyvann-passed-away-this-morning/> Traverso, V. 2017, ‘The architect who married modernism and ancient Khmer Style’, Atlas Obscura, blog post, posted on 13 October 2017, viewed 17 May 2018, <https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vann-molyvann-modernism-khmer-architecture-cambodia-southeast-asia>.

Uncube 2015, Light flooding into the interior of the indoor hall today: showing the genius of Vann Molyvann’s architecture. Film still from the forthcoming documentary “The Man Who Built Cambodia”, viewed 17 May 2018, <http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/15359429>.

10 II design research

bibliography