Intersection Of Modernity And Tradition

SCDA Architects Has Composed A Glass Atrium To Preserve And Integrate A French Colonial Villa Within The Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh.

- Pearlie Tan

The first Hyatt Regency in the Kingdom of Cambodia welcomes visitors to the heart of Phnom Penh’s cultural and business district, just a short walk from the Royal Palace.

Conceived by Singapore-based SCDA Architects, it comprises a stately French heritage villa in pale yellow, standing before a new 14-storey building with 247 rooms – the latter forms a subtle backdrop in subdued shades of glass and architectural fins.

“We made a conscious effort to not only faithfully preserve the old colonial house, but fully integrate it with the overall layout and design of a contemporary luxury hotel,” explains Chan Soo Khian, Principal of SCDA Architects.

“The programmatic requirements of a city hotel can be quite large, hence we needed to be sensitive to the scale and façade of the new building in order not to overwhelm the heritage house.”

To integrate the venerable structure into the hotel without compromising its integrity, a central atrium with a glass roof was constructed to serve as a transitional space between the colonial house and the rest of the development.

This design preserves the context of garden areas around the original residence, despite the limited spatial constraints of the city site.

A NOSTALGIC ARRIVAL EXPERIENCE

Guests enter the hotel through the grand French heritage building, which serves as the main reception and lobby.

Built in the early 1900s as a residence of the Cambodian royal family, the double-story villa has a symmetrical exterior, wraparound porch, high ceilings and terracotta-tiled roof.