Vattanac Capital

Heralding confidence in Cambodia’s future, Vattanac Capital was recently completed in fast-growing Phnom Penh and stands proudly as the country’s first skyscraper. Located near the railway station in an emerging financial district, this mixed-use development comprises a 39-storey, 187-metre tower housing Grade A office space and a 148-room luxury hotel sitting atop a shopping centre podium. A secondary tower was originally designed to accommodate a stock exchange, but became a “lifestyle cube” housing a cinema as well as fitness and medical facilities.

With a design that incorporates both feng shui and traditional Naga motifs, 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 business community. Through ambitious environmental design, Vattanac Capital is seeking LEED Gold certification. Guidelines were also developed for assisting tenants to achieve USGBC’s LEED 2009 for Commercial Interiors.

The complex sits on a green axis, along which more skyscrapers will be built in the future, stretching from the railway station to the river. The massing of the development is intended to soften the transition between the existing low-rise urban fabric and future adjacent skyscrapers. The most impressive views from the tower are of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers to the east. The north and south faces of the tower are chamfered inward, enabling occupants to enjoy the river landscape from three of the tower’s four faces.

Phnom Penh’s skyline is growing, and a host of new high-rises are under construction. Vattanac Capital set a benchmark in mixed-use high-rise design, enhanced by a memorable form responsive to local conditions and detailing grounded in the region’s rich culture.