Neeson Cripps Academy Phnom Penh

Project scope

GVQW+6MH, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Neeson Crispps Academy is a joint charitable venture between Cambodian Children’s Fund and Velcro Companies The school is a landmark education facility in the heart of Phnom Penh’s former garbage dump community. The Neeson Cripps Academy (NCA), was fully funded by the Velcro organisation and provides impoverished Cambodian children with high quality education opportunities that would otherwise not be accessible. The landmark building was designed pro-bono by acclaimed New York firm CookFox Architects. The ecologically integrated design and sustainable strategies help create a healthy environment for learning and limit the school’s water and energy usage. Along with low energy lighting and natural ventilation, other features include open-air learning spaces, and integrated bamboo and terracotta solar shading. The rooftop features a garden that minimises solar heat gain, reduces stormwater runoff, and provides educational opportunities, and a covered, multi-purpose athletic court facilitates outdoor activities in all conditions. Using biophilic design principles, the school incorporates natural and biomimetic materials.