Participatory Design Process of a Youth Centre in Phnom Penh

Participatory Design Process of a Youth Centre in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Maiju Suomi
B.Arch.
Komitu working group
Finland
suomi.maiju@gmail.com
Tuuli Kassi
B.Arch.
Komitu working group
Finland
tuuli.kassi@gmail.com
Summary
This paper introduces the participatory design process of a youth centre in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia. The centre is designed by Finnish architectural working group Komitu, in collaboration
with Cambodian non-governmental organizations Cambodian Volunteers for Society (CVS) and
Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and Development Association (KKKHRDA). These two
local organizations will together operate the activities of the center once it is finished.
The project started in the spring 2010 through a course organized by the Aalto University
Department of Architecture. The participatory design process has advanced through different
workshops organized with the future users of the building. The construction phase will start in
January 2012.
Komitu's work is based on cultural sensitivity and sustainability. The aspect of social sustainability
builds on CVS’s well-established organization and their local knowledge. They work with the
Cambodian youth through different programs in order to provide them with the skills they need to
make a positive effect on the Cambodian society. In Komitu's project empowerment of the local
youth is aimed at through supporting CVS's activities by building them new facilities and also
through the participatory design process itself. In the design process the aim is to awaken dreams
in the youth and then together produce concrete built results of them.
In the pursuit of ecological sustainability both technical and symbolic means are utilized. By
studying and developing the local traditional materials and techniques new sustainable ways of
building can be found and consolidated. The use and further development of compressed earth
blocks and bamboo building techniques offer a possibility to link the local tradition with modern
sustainable technology. When striving for ecological sustainability one should not forget the
symbolic power of architecture to convey new ideals through its aesthetics. A building can show a
built example of a new relationship between culture and nature.
Social responsibility as an important part of the architect's profession plays a strong role in the
project. Through challenging the roles of an architect by working on projects in disadvantaged
communities in the developing countries, we can broaden our professional identity and engage in
the change of our global society.
Keywords: humanitarian architecture, participatory design, South-East Asia, social sustainability,
ecological sustainability
Introduction
Komitu is a working group of six Finnish architects and nearly graduated architecture students from
Aalto University working in the field of humanitarian architecture. We are currently working in
collaboration with Cambodian organizations Cambodian Volunteers for Society (CVS) and Khmer
Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and Development Association (KKKHRDA) to realize a youth
centre in a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
This paper will introduce the participatory design process of the Youth Centre and discuss the
questions rising through the process. We will look into the background of the project, the reasons
which inspired us to begin in the first place. Also the different aspects of sustainability in our work
will be challenged and discussed. Finally we will introduce the different stages of the Youth Centre
design process in a more detailed manner. The participatory design aspect is most clearly
represented in the workshops, therefore the methods used there are especially elaborated on.
CVS, our partner in the process, works with the Cambodian youth to provide them with
opportunities to learn, to get new experiences, and to unlock their potential, so that they can make
positive contributions to the development of the Cambodian society. Cambodian Volunteers for
Society has two well-established programs; one for educated youth to make useful contributions in
both urban and rural communities while gaining work experience for their future professional
careers, and another for youth from disadvantaged urban communities to meet and find solutions
for common problems. Komitu collaborates with CVS to build them the facilities they need to
further develop their activities.
The project started in the spring 2010 through a course organized by the Aalto University
Department of Architecture. During the course the first workshops were organized in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia. In December 2010 we travelled back to Phnom Penh to introduce the first design for
the youth centre and to further develop it together with the future users. After participating in our
design workshop, a representative of KKKHRDA offered a site for the youth center in the
community managed by the association, and in summer 2011 another trip was made to study the
possibilities of the site.
In November 2011 the design is well underway and Komitu is working with engineering
collaborators to further develop the compressed earth block and bamboo structures. The
construction will begin in January 2012. Following its completion, the center will be run jointly by
the two local organizations.
Why are We Doing It? - Our Motives for Starting the Project
In this chapter we will discuss our own motives for starting the project. We will look into the ideas
that pushed us to reconsider the role of an architect offered to us by our western society.
Social Responsibility - Broadening Perspectives of the Role of an Architect
What is the role of an architect? Is social responsibility embedded in the role of an architect? Can
architecture take a political stand and aim at changing the society on some level? Should
architecture strive to do this? Or does it reflect our attitudes and change our behaviour whether we
want it to or not? These are some of the questions we had in mind as we started our working group
Komitu.
In the global scale we are relatively well-off westerners with the luxury of spare time, and as such,
are in a good position to change things. With the possibility comes the responsibility; if we have the
means to help others build a better living environment, why would we not? The vast majority of
people are left on their own to solve problems arising from rapid urbanization and ecological
deterioration, while many good design solutions to these problems already exist. We believe that
the architect can take the side of those who lack the societal and financial power to effect the
development of their living conditions.
This new role requires a broadening of the approach; architecture as pure design of functions,
aesthetics and technical solutions ceases to be enough. We find ourselves working with questions
such as how to include local people in the design process and empower them through it, how to
work within the local power structures and simply how to fund our work and projects. By offering
architectural services to the ones who cannot afford the help they’d need to enhance their
surroundings, we can learn to engage in the change of our society through our profession. The
social engagement of the architect can also bring new sense of meaning for the practising
professionals.
Nabeel Hamdi, who has practised widely in the field of participatory design, writes about the
changing role of the designer: “a new activism […] offers new roles and responsibilities to
practitioners. It enables us to cultivate afresh the ideals of community, participation, and
governance.” [1] We see that this new role could be developed using ideas from community art,
where the artist functions as a facilitator, director or conductor.
The widening of the role of an architect as a generalist who can gather together the skills of other
professions and facilitate the design processes in complex environments is a great opportunity to
tackle the complicated issues of sustainability. We hope that through our work in the field of
humanitarian architecture we can raise some of these questions to the general discussion.
Komitu’s Principles
Komitu strives for cultural sensitivity and sustainability. We are working towards high-quality in
architecture artistically, functionally, technically and socially.
This chapter will look into the different aspects of sustainability in the Youth Centre project. First
we will concentrate on the social aspects of sustainability: the mind-set we are working in, the
chosen means of participatory design and the idea of open communication with colleagues. Then
ecological sustainability will be discussed through the technical aspects and symbolic qualities of
our work.
Social Sustainability
The most important prerequisite for collaboration is the sense of mutual respect. All the actors
have clear roles in the process of building the Youth Centre. The organizations of CVS and
KKKHRDA are already there and have established their own approaches on working towards
empowering underprivileged Cambodians. They have well-functioning programs in community
management, volunteering and supplementary education for the youth in the poor urban
neighbourhoods. CVS and KKKHRDA also have the local knowledge we as Finnish architects are
lacking. Komitu then again has the architectural skills and knowledge needed to design and realise
a beautiful, functional and durable building to house the organizations’ activities.
Participatory Design
Coming from a different culture and a different climate, we have a lot to learn in Cambodia. In
order to design a building that truly meets the needs of the future users, a building that symbolizes
the quality and objectives of their work and will serve them for many years to come we need to
work in close collaboration with the future users. Through the means of participatory design,
invaluable information can be gathered on the local social, cultural and climatic conditions and the
functional needs for the building. The participatory design process also works to build the sense of
ownership among the future users; the feeling among them that this truly is their building and they
have the right to use it for their own purposes, be proud of it and take good care of it for years to
come.
The communication between the designer and the future users of the building is the main focus in
participatory design. In Komitu’s Youth Centre project we have chosen to work with the youth
through workshops. Through these workshops we can show new possibilities and awaken dreams.
Then together with locals we can find the means to achieve some of these dreams. At the end of
the process we can see the finished building as a concrete result of the workshops where a better
future has been visualised.
Architecture as a Tool of Empowerment
Empowerment is helping people to see their existing strengths and possibilities and offering
opportunities where there are none. An architect can offer impulses, wake dreams in people, and
then build something concrete based on the responses. Participatory design practice works as a
catalyst, working with locals to look for and to find the necessary networks and connections to
make things happen.
Nabeel Hamdi suggests that people in disadvantaged positions may often need an outsider to see
their potential. A practitioner can build on the collective knowledge of a community and disturb the
order of things to create change. Sometimes the smallest intervention is enough to set things in
motion, whereas every now and then a big project ends up leaving everything as it was after the
dust has settled. The key for a successful intervention is listening. [1]
Architecture can be a powerful tool for relieving poverty through empowerment. Nabeel Hamdi
describes empowerment as making people “secure enough to become interdependent”. A
practitioner can help people come together and get organized, and later assist the organization to
become more sophisticated. [1] This is what we believe we can do with CVS by working with them
to build them new facilities. We aim at giving them a better chance to continue their work by
helping them to scale up.
During the participatory process through workshops and other activities we can build a sense of
pride and importance in our work. This mechanism works in two directions. The local youth can
feel that they are taking part in shaping their future and we as designers can feel that we are doing
work that truly has a purpose. The outcome of the process is a concrete building and therefore we
will in the end have a standing example that dreams do come true. For the youth, this will serve as
a constant reminder that they can have a positive effect on the surrounding society.
Cultural Exchange with Local Professionals and Students
Through open interaction with the local non-governmental organizations, architects, planners and
students, we hope to broaden horizons for all parties. In Cambodia we have organized workshops
and lectures at the local universities and at a cultural centre, together with local NGO Sahmakum
Teang Tnaut. STT works in the field of promoting sustainable urbanization in Cambodia. Through
these interactions we hope to achieve discussion on the possible roles of the architect in a social
context and exchange ideas on the use and development of ecologically sustainable building
techniques and materials. While we can share with the local students ideas that may be lacking
from their architectural education, we ourselves gain invaluable feedback on our project and
knowledge that is deeply rooted in the local culture.
Open Collaboration with Colleagues Working for the Same Principles
In order to truly advance the principles we are working for, collaboration with colleagues working in
the same field is extremely important. Komitu is working with Finnish NGO Ukumbi whose mission
is to offer architectural services to communities in need. By sharing ideas of our work with the
other teams in Ukumbi we can reflect on our ethical principles and working methods. This
collaboration has proved to be very fruitful. The attitude of mutual respect needs to be cultivated
here just as in the participatory design processes. Architecture can be a very individual and
competitive field but we believe that the best results are gained by open sharing and development
of ideas in groups.
Ecological Sustainability
Within ecological sustainability we have established two goals. By using as sustainable materials
and techniques as possible we can bring the environmental load of the project as low as possible.
At the same time we want the building not only to perform ecologically but also to show that it is
made with environmental considerations in mind. The symbolic value of the building should be
remembered throughout the design process as an important part of advancing ideas of ecological
sustainability, especially when working in an environment such as Cambodia where these
principles are not strongly visible in the development of the society.
Aesthetics in Relation to Ecological Goals
Often aesthetics is seen by eco-conscious designers as a secondary question compared to the
basic sheltering quality of a building and its technical solutions. Susannah Hagan has studied this
problem in her book Taking Shape - A New Contract Between Architecture and Nature. She states
that in order for ecological architecture to have an impact on society, striving for beauty should
gain back its position as a fundamental part of the design process. Hagan does not believe that
architecture alone can achieve a social change but that architecture can advance that change by
making it visible in our physical surroundings. “[...] forms can have extraordinary power - to
interrogate, provoke and inspire. To dismiss this power as irrelevant to the present ideological
battle is to fight with one hand tied.” Eco-conscious architecture cannot afford to stay invisible. In
order for it to be convincing and influential it needs to be noticeable and attractive in its form.
Architecture must be sustainable both in relation to nature and to culture. [2]
Materials and Technology
When beginning a project in a foreign culture one needs to study the local building tradition as
widely as possible. All through the history of mankind people have built their shelters out of the
material they’ve had at hand. Each culture has built their dwellings according to the local climate
and the natural conditions. Therefore looking into the vernacular architecture of the region can
teach us how to build sustainably in today’s world. By developing the use of traditional materials
further we can find new ecologically sustainable building solutions and at the same time establish a
cultural connection with the local tradition.
In Cambodia the weather conditions with the regular flooding during the monsoon season pose a
special challenge on building. In the beginning we intended to use bamboo as the main material.
Bamboo was originally chosen because it is rapidly renewable, affordable and traditionally used in
the Cambodian culture. But as the project advanced we decided that for an urban location with
possible flooding a heavier material would be required. We decided to use compressed earth
blocks in the main load-bearing structures while the lighter elements, the light filtering space
dividers, the window louvers and the pergola structures would be made with bamboo.
Compressed earth blocks offer an option that consumes less energy than fired brick and concrete,
which are the most commonly used building materials in Cambodia today. Compressed earth
blocks have already been used in projects in the rural areas of Cambodia so technical information
on the material’s use in the local conditions is available. It is an interesting opportunity to introduce
this material in a more urban context and to further study its possibilities as an alternative to brick.
By also developing modern bamboo architecture that derives from local aesthetics and
craftsmanship we can promote the use of this undervalued material in modern day Cambodia.
The Process in Practice
In this part we will introduce the phases of the design process of the CVS Youth Centre in more
detail. Especially the methods for the participatory workshops will be elaborated on.
Where It All Started
The project originates in the co-operation of the Finnish Aalto University and the Cambodian Royal
University of Fine Arts. Since 1993 Department of Architecture at Aalto University, former Helsinki
University of Technology, has organized courses in developing countries to introduce students to
the reality of architecture, urban planning and design outside the western tradition. Led by Hennu
Kjisik and Veikko Vasko the field trips were first organized to Senegal and Benin. Within this
cooperation was laid the foundation for the award winning and much published Women’s Centre in
Senegal by Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects. Under the name City in Crisis, the course started
its cooperation with Cambodian actors in the spring 2008.
In 2009 three Komitu members Inari Virkkala, Noora Aaltonen and Sisko Hovila took part in the
City in Crisis course. During this course they travelled to Cambodia to work in close collaboration
with the Cambodian NGO STT in a workshop, learning about the local reality and the challenges of
uncontrolled urbanization in Phnom Penh. Six months later they travelled back to Phnom Penh to
present a compilation book of the course projects and to work with the local students on issues of
enhancing poor urban living environments. These experiences left an interest in the three to take
their involvement one step further and plunge into a realisation project in Cambodia.
The rest of Komitu’s members Elina Tenho, Maiju Suomi and Tuuli Kassi had their first encounter
with Cambodia as they took part in the Aalto University Public Buildings Cambodia Studio in 2010.
The course was led by architects Saija Hollmén, Jenni Reuter and Helena Sandman, professor
Markku Komonen and Anna Heringer, as visiting lecturer and critic. The course consisted of
working periods in Finland and in Cambodia. During the time in Cambodia the students worked
with different local NGOs to identify specific needs and then to design small scale public buildings
for the use of these NGOs.
The idea for the Youth Centre was born during this course as Elina Tenho and Tuuli Kassi chose
to work with the Cambodian Volunteers for Society and together with them developed the room
program, organized the first workshop and afterwards made the first designs for the centre. From
this course also another project has made its way to reality, a vocational school built in March 2011
in Sra Pou, Oudong, Cambodia, by Anssi Kankkunen and Hilla Rudanko.
The First Participatory Workshop with CVS
In the beginning of the collaboration CVS already had the idea of a youth centre and the next step
was a spatial program developed in co-operation between us and the youth from CVS. Next we’ll
describe the preliminary workshop with the youth, which was held to get to know them and their
every-day realities as well as their needs for the centre.
The workshop began with a warm-up game where the two of us held pairs of pictures up and
asked the participants to choose which they liked better and to come stand next to it. The pictures
depicted e.g. 'reading inside' vs. 'reading outside' or 'being alone' vs. 'being in a group'. We learned
something about their preferences and a lot about Cambodian group coherence and politeness.
On most cases all but one of them went to one side: they chose together but didn’t want to leave
one of us alone either.
Second part had the participants drawing their daily routines and schedules on a form we had
prepared. We learned that the Cambodian day starts a lot earlier then we had imagined, that most
of the youth take courses in the morning and work in the afternoon and evening. Many of them had
two jobs, and most of the girls did also several hours of house work every day.
The final part was an open discussion where we asked questions concerning their hobbies, their
dreams for the future, what they liked about their homes and neighbourhoods, and their wishes
about the youth centre. There were about ten people in the workshop so we were able to make
sure that even the quieter ones got to answer by directing the questions to each one in turn. Based
on their suggestions we reformulated the preliminary room program.
Making It Real
In summer 2010 after the Aalto University course we had in our hands the first design for the CVS
Youth Centre and the six of us decided that it was time to see if we could make what started as a
study project into something real. We formed our working group Komitu in order to design and
build the Youth Centre for Cambodian Volunteers for Society.
Finding Funding
Our first task after the decision to proceed with the project was to start gathering the funding. By
November 2011 our project has received funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland,
Finland’s State Committee for Architecture, the Arts Council of Helsinki Metropolitan Area, the
Alfred Kordelin Foundation and the Finnish Association of Architects. We are currently working on
the last third of the funding: grants, sponsors and private donations are sought. The costs for
realizing the project are divided between Komitu and the local actors; we will find funding for the
construction costs and our partner organizations will cover the charges for acquiring the site and
furnishing the spaces.
The Second Trip to Phnom Penh – Participatory Approach
After securing the first grants in November we
started organizing a second trip to Phnom Penh.
The purpose of this trip was to continue the
participatory design process and to find the
necessary local collaborators for the realization of
the project. This was to happen through a
workshop with the CVS youth and interest groups,
presentations and discussions with local
colleagues and negotiations with possible
engineering and contracting collaborators.
The design workshop with the youth and local
interest groups was carefully planned beforehand.
Fig.1 Monorum Som from CVS translating,
We wanted to identify the information we were
Maiju Suomi and Elina Tenho presenting the
looking for, and then to find the means to get the
participants to share it with us. We already had
model in the participatory workshop in Kork
the sketch design to work with and wanted to hear
Kleang community, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
frank opinions about it so that we would be able to
further develop it. This preliminary design used bamboo as its
main material and as bamboo is nowadays in Cambodia
something of a forgotten wisdom and now often seen only as
'the poor man's timber', we wanted to present its possibilities in
modern architecture and see how our audience would react to
them.
As a basis for the structure of the workshop we used a method
we ourselves had learned earlier in the autumn at a workshop
with Carin Smuts, a South African participatory design
practitioner with years of experience of working with different
communities to advance their living conditions through
architecture. From this method we identified different phases
for the workshop and then found our own specific methods
suitable for our project. Some of the methods were adapted
from Nick Wates' Community Planning Handbook. [3]
The practicalities of the workshop were organized in
collaboration with CVS staff. The chosen location was at a
relocation site close to the Phnom Penh airport, in a community
which could also be a possible location for the future youth
centre. We had participants from the active CVS youth and Fig.2 A group designed the
also the local community leader was present.
new plan with a large courtyard
To set the mood we began with a presentation on the potentials of bamboo as a material in
modern architecture. This visual presentation with various interesting built examples had a double
function: to bring the mind-set from the everyday reality into a place where you can start dreaming
of future possibilities and at the same time to inform the youth of the new ways to use this
traditional material. After the presentation we asked the participants to comment on the pictures
they had seen in our presentation, now given to them in printed form in their workshop folders. The
comments were given by writing and drawing on the prints. These individual exercises were
deliberately done before showing our initial design of the centre to the participants, in order to get
an idea of their overall likings of different ways of use of the material and spatial features and
aesthetic qualities.
In the second part of the workshop we presented the youth
centre project in its sketch phase. Besides the drawing material
we had a very detailed scale model to work with. The model
could be opened in various ways to present the indoor spaces
and it proved to be an effective means of communication in
explaining the design. After the presentation the participants
got to work in groups on reorganizing the floor plan in their own
way. By doing this they gave their remarks to us on what was
successful and what should still be developed in the design.
The information we got from this phase was mainly their
concerns on the practical arrangements of the building, e.g.
making a larger shaded outdoor space, finding more room for
parking, placing functions differently in connection with each
other etc.
Fig.2 A young workshop
participant presenting her
group’s plan and suggestions for
the CVS youth centre
We ended the official part of the workshop with an open
discussion where we covered among others the subject of the
roof shape and the amount of rain water, the height of the
monsoon floods in the area and the fire safety of bamboo
structures. All in all we felt that the workshop was a success
and that we had had a well balanced mix of individual, small
group and larger group activities to bring everyone's voice out
to be heard. Even though challenged by the translation from
Khmer to English we believe we got a lot of information to help
us further develop the design.
After the workshop we expressed everyone our gratitude for their participation and time by offering
them a meal prepared by two local women.
Lectures and Negotiations
During our stay in Phnom Penh we gave a lecture
together with CVS at the Limkokwing University to
local students of architecture. Our presentation
was a part of a lecture series called A Right to the
City organized by Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT).
The lecture was divided into three parts; first CVS
presented their work, then we held two
presentations, one on the possibilities of
sustainable modern bamboo architecture and one
on the youth centre's design. We were happy to
hear that many of the local students were very
excited about the possibilities of bamboo
construction as a modern continuation of the local Fig.3 Local students examining the CVS
tradition. We also got some positive feedback on youth centre model after our lecture at the
our project.
Limkokwing University in Phnom Penh
The most useful comments on the project were heard at another venue as we later on in the trip
presented our project at the Meta House, a local cultural centre, where a broad audience of local
architects, NGO-workers and students had gathered to hear what we had to say and really gave us
some useful critique during the discussion after the presentation.
Finding a Site
In addition to the previous an important goal of the trip was to secure and study a site for the
centre. Unfortunately this was not possible during the trip. We were told that the procedure of
finding and securing a donation site was very challenging and might take up to six months so we
had to confine ourselves to that. But less than a month after returning home to Finland we received
a message from CVS telling they had now found a site. It would be offered to us through the
connections of Mr Son Chumchuon, a representative of KKKHRDA and the village chief of the
community where we had held our workshop. He had attended the workshop and we believe our
presentation and dedication to hearing the local youth's opinion convinced him to help the project
go forward.
In the summer of 2011 two of our group travelled back to Phnom Penh to further study the qualities
of the site, meet with local collaborators and work with the new group of future users of the
building. The workshop held with the community members during the trip revealed invaluable
information for example about the flooding in the area.
Future of the Project
Komitu is now working on finishing the design as well as studying and developing the building
techniques with the earth blocks and the bamboo elements. The construction of the center will
begin in January 2012.
Discussion
While making a difference in the lives of those who most need it we ourselves are gaining a great
deal. By working on questions of social engagement through projects in the developing countries
we can broaden our professional identity as architects. Then, we can also bring back new ideas to
the western environment, where they can help us design our living environments according to the
new challenges posed by the needs of sustainability.
List of references
[1]
[2]
[3]
HAMDI, N., “Small Change: The Art of Practice and the Limits of Planning in Cities”,
Earthscan, London, 2004
HAGAN, S., "Taking Shape: A New Contract between Architecture and Nature", Oxford:
Architectural Press, 2001, pp. 9-15
WATES, N., "The Community Planning Handbook: How People Can Shape Their Cities,
Towns and Villages in Any Part of the World", Earthscan Publications Ltd, 2000
List of figures
Fig. 1, 2, 3
photographs by Tuuli Kassi, copyright KOMITU