Whiteout

The White Building originally called the Municipal Apartments was built in 1963 by Khmer and Russian architects on Sothearos Boulevard in central Phnom Penh near the riverside and is a few minutes walk away from my home.

Phnom Penh's population nearly tripled between 1953 and 1970 to one million residents. King Sihanouk authorised the construction of the White Building complex, a total of 468 apartments to create affordable housing as a response to the rapid urbanisation.

From the outset, the community living in the White Building was and continues to be a vibrant and diverse mix of people which includes civil servants, street vendors, artists, musicians and activists. After the end of the Khmer Rouge era in 1979, former residents of Phnom Penh who had been evacuated returned.

The White Building is actually made up of 6 buildings with covered walkways that connect them. Over the years many of the 2,500 residents have made changes including some that are structural which are said to have compromised the safety of the buildings. This area is prime real estate sought after by new developers who are building mega towers all around and have further impacted the structural integrity of the White Building.

The complex while a thriving mini village in itself, polarises people not only because it stands out as neglected amongst other shiny newcomers in the cityscape, but because it also has a reputation for being an enclave for petty crime, prostitution and drugs.

There has been mounting pressure to demolish the White Building to make way for new development and equally there has been a lot of resistance, a protest movement in fact which so far seems to be winning to preserve it as an iconic example of New Khmer Architecture (NKA).

The father of NKA, Vann Molyvann who studied in France under the famous architect Le Corbusier and has designed other landmarks in Phnom Penh, oversaw the creation of the White Building.