Building & Investment (Nov - Dec 2015) (Nov - Dec 2015) | Page 24

Project Highlight

Vattanac Capital is Cambodia’s
first skyscraper
Award-winning architect TFP Farrells re-defines Phnom Penh’s skyline with iconic building.
LOCATED NEAR the railway station,
Vattanac Capital is one of Cambodia’s series
of new towers approved under the city
masterplan.The mixed-use development
comprises a 38-storey, 187-metre tower
housing Grade A office units and a world-class
five-star hotel sitting atop a shopping centre
podium. Tower 2 is a lifestyle hub which has
a cinema floor, fitness floor, forecourt floor
and medical floor, among others.
Vattanac Capital is Phnom Penh’s most
prestigious commercial address. With a form
firmly rooted in local culture, this soaring
landmark is designed and constructed to
the highest international standards for
Cambodia’s emerging business community.
Through ambitious environmental design
measures, Vattanac Capital also attained
LEED Gold certification.
Phnom Penh’s skyline is growing,
with a host of new high-rises currently
under construction. Vattanac Capital sets a
20 Building & Investment | www.b-i.biz

benchmark in mixed-use high-rise design,
enhanced by a memorable form responsive
to environmental conditions and detailing
grounded in the region’s rich culture.
Incorporating elements of fengshui and
traditional Naga motifs, Vattanac Capital
is the pre-eminent icon of Phnom Penh’s
modern skyline. The tower bears a graceful,
fluid form that is firmly rooted in local
culture. The complex unites a plethora of
different uses into one cohesive, functional
urban quarter, fostering the same degree of
vitality and convenience as Phnom Penh’s
vibrant older districts.
The form of the complex resembles a
dragon of traditional lore, symbolising good
luck and prosperity. According to mythology
the Dragon Kings live in “crystal palaces”.
The facade, fittingly, is formed by scale-like
glass panelling which creeps up the dragon’s
back, all the way to the tower’s peak. Other
sections of the glass facade are covered by

distinctive decorative screens which both
respond to local climate and pay homage to
the elaborate carvings that decorate ancient
Khmer structures. The sum of this marriage
between modern architecture and traditional
references, with deference to the local
environment, is a dynamic building which
literally appears poised to leap into a new era
of prosperity.
Vattanac Capital is responsive to location
and orientation. The building is subtly
chamfered toward the east to maximise the
number of offices with panoramic river views.
In addition, lower shading coefficient glazing
has been utilised for the western façade.
Situated on the busy Monivong Boulevard,
a major North-South route through the
capital, Vattanac Capital is highly visible and
highly accessible. The southern elevation is
recessed to allow a generous drop off area
immediately outside the tower. Special paving
and landscaping separate this driveway