Pub. 7 2019 Directory

14 THE MONTANA ARCHITECT | 2019-2020 | www.aia-mt.org University of the Nations Campus Phase 1 in Battambang, Cambodia 100 Fold Studio Project Text: The campus of University of the Nations — Battambang, Cambodia (U of N) provides a beacon of hope in a nation overshadowed by genocide and civil war. Beginning in 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime killed over two million Cambodians — targeting artists, professionals, teachers, and religious leaders. Suffering from a lack of leaders and political instability, the culture, economy, and physical infrastructure of Cambodia has stagnated for decades. 85% of the current population is under the age of 30, and 50% is under the age of 15. The U of N is an incubator for a Cambodian-led movement to grow future leaders through vocational training and leadership development. Originally a rice field, the site has been transformed into a vibrant campus, with public soccer fields, a playground, and outdoor plazas. The first phase of construction includes nearly 100,000 square feet of space, including a cafeteria/auditorium space, multiple student and family dorms, a classroom building, and various support structures. The campus is now the second largest educational facility within the second largest city in the nation. The facilities can accommodate 1,000 single day students and 300 full- time students. The campus hosts conferences for over 5,000 annual attendees from across the nation and Southeast Asia. The U of N’s initial goals were focused on providing a safe, reliable, and sanitary campus that could scale with future building phases. Battambang experiences driving rain and severe temperatures throughout the year, so durability in materials and design strategies were important considerations. The buildings on the campus alleviate reliance on air conditioning by taking advantage of prevailing breezes and considering thermal mass, solar heat gain, shading, and stratification of hot and cold air. Passive ventilation and sun shading are accomplished by concrete louvres and terraces, which also shield driving rain in the wet season. Top-floor covered terraces on the dorm buildings create breezy public spaces with panoramic views, and create thermal separation between enclosed lower floors and roof structure. Modular window boxes provide shade from the sun and visual privacy between dorm units. They also function as light-shelves, reflecting natural light into the living spaces. On the western face of the main classroom building, a floating concrete façade shields the classroom walls from intense sunlight and creates a protected multi-level outdoor space with views across the campus and beyond. The project also introduces high volume, low velocity fans and Merit Award