Model, National Sports Complex (1962–1964), Phnom Penh, Cambodia柬埔寨金邊國家體育中心(1962–1964)模型
2015
The National Sports Complex was built to host the Southeast Asian Games of 1963 and was a statement of Cambodia’s position among the ranks of newly independent states. Architect Vann Molyvann looked to precedents in Cambodian history to localise the modernist design for its marshy site and the tropical climate. Specifically, he drew from the hydraulic system of the historic Angkor Wat temple complex for his design of water basins and a drainage system. Excavated earth was used to form the monumental stadium seating, which never welcomed the anticipated crowds as the games were cancelled due to unrest in Cambodia.
Vann Molyvann’s archive was destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime and his built projects are currently under threat of demolition. The Vann Molyvann Project documents and disseminates his work, like this model, as an act of preservation.