The Commune
Located in Phnom Penh’s Toul Kork district, The Commune reinterprets the spatial and social logic of traditional Southeast Asian villages within a contemporary mid-rise residential setting. Against the backdrop of a rapidly densifying and gentrifying city, the project challenges prevailing real estate models defined by repetition and isolation. It departs from conventional deep-plan towers and double-loaded corridor blocks, proposing instead a new urban housing typology — one where community forms the central architectural premise rather than an afterthought.
Comprising six low-rise blocks arranged around a central courtyard, this project draws inspiration from circular village layouts and khums (‘commune’ in Khmer), where communal space forms the heart of daily life. The ground level is porous and open to the public, designed as an extension of the street rather than a gated enclosure. Cafés and restaurants activate the courtyard’s edge, fostering social interaction and softening the boundaries — between residents and visitors, private and public space.
Access to residential units avoids the standard model of double-loaded corridors. Instead, circulation is structured as a continuous raised pathway that loops around the courtyard. This pathway connects the six blocks through terraces, steps, and shared landings, encouraging informal encounters and a sense of collective ownership over shared spaces.
Rather than maximising unit count, The Commune prioritises liveability and social cohesion. It resists the standardisation driven by the real estate industrial complex, favouring informality, layered spatial experiences, and flexibility. Courtyards, garden terraces, and stepped vertical edges introduce moments of calm within the density of the city.
Materially and atmospherically, this architecture is deliberately light, breathable, and suited to the tropical climate. Shading, cross-ventilation, and access to natural light are not treated as sustainability features, but as fundamental conditions for how people live well together.
At a time when housing is increasingly reduced to a commodity, The Commune asks a deeper question: What kind of architecture allows us to live better together? In attempting to answer it, this project becomes not just a place to live, but a framework for community.
Text by the architect
PROJECT GALLERY
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Architect : Lateral Architects
Client : SOMA Group
Area : 21,000 m²
Project Location : Phnom Penh | Cambodia
Year : 2020 -
C&S Engineer : SOMA Construction
M&E Engineer : SOMA Construction
Quantity Surveyor : SOMA Construction
Interior Designer : Lateral Architects
Landscape Designer : Lateral Architects | SOMA Group
Contractor : SOMA Construction
Design Team : Nicholas Ling | Jonathan Lee | Will Creed | Cheong Lip Hyean
Photography : Bruce Vincentiis | SOMA Group -
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