PEPY International School
Institutional — Siem Riep, Cambodia
Due to devastation caused by the Khmer Rouge, the current generation of Cambodian adults have rarely received more than a sixth-grade-equivalent education. Recognizing this, the educational non-governmental organization PEPY launched an initiative to train members of the local community for teaching careers.
MA offered its services pro bono to accommodate PEPY’s needs, resulting in a complex comprising classrooms, computer lab, administrative offices, meeting rooms, storage, guesthouses for international visitors, and a dining pavilion.
The project places local relevance at its core, with regional construction techniques and environmental considerations paramount to the complex’s functionality. An analysis of other NGO buildings revealed a Western construction approach ill-suited for the hot climate, so the team conducted a thorough investigation of local construction methods for mitigating heat gain. With solar power and tall ceilings culminating in ridge vents for natural ventilation, the complex is a low-tech, commonsense, and sustainable solution.
