Building Trust international have unveiled their latest collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Royal Government of Cambodia with a proposed interpretation centre at Ang Trapeang Thmor in Cambodia. Due to be constructed in 2015 the building will serve to remember the great price Cambodia paid during the Khmer Rouge period, while looking forward to the diverse and spectacular wildlife the country has to offer both local and foreign tourists alike. The centre will be a new type of museum created to educate and raise awareness of both natural and cultural heritage. Inspired by the forest which once dominated the site. The concept of the building is defined by the untreated rough timber columns that pierce the floor plates and drive up through the floor slabs. Visitors are engaged with the building in the surrounding landscape, with columns breaking free of the building starting in the car park and wetland area. A standing tall metaphor for both nature and man’s ability to overcome adversity. David Cole, Principal of Atelier COLE, says: “It is impossible not to be moved by the tragic consequences of the past in Cambodia but at Ang Trapeang Thmor we see a lasting reminder which has gone on to provide the home to endangered species, becoming a symbol of life overcoming adversity.” Source by Atelier COLE.
