THE WAVE
Kep, Cambodia
Completed 2023
Restaurant, Event space & Sailing club, 3,000 sqm
A rebirth of Cambodia coastal architecture
This series of buildings composed of sandstone walls, covered by undulating concrete roofs were designed by Bloom Architecture in 2023. They host a sailing club, a restaurant, rooftop bar. The whole space can serve to organize events.
Asleep since the sixties,
Kep is now in full transformation.
The architectural challenge was to define a new layer to the architectural history of Kep-sur-Mer, a historic balnear station, once frequented by the Khmer socialites of the Golden Era of Cambodia. Developing a site specific and contemporary architecture over this newly reclaimed land was a heavy task for Bloom.
To do so, we studied the New Khmer Architecture of the sixties and the ambitious public spaces generated at the time.
This configuration is to catalyze uses and to be a starting point for visitors at the intersection of the restaurant, a coastal promenade and a pier.
Nicknamed the wave, the main building around the plaza is the restaurant. Its architecture is site specific. The dynamic form of the roof reflects its setting framing the azure horizon.
Its scale is out of the ordinary. Its bare structures and wide spans open possibilities.
Mindful of the seaside climate, the roof extends far to protect from the sun and rain.
Blinds yet add another layer of protection to the structure, and can partition the space.
The details of the concrete and the functional refinement elevate the concrete structure from typical seaside harbor structure into a landmark.
In order to reveal the genius loci, a minimal material palette was decided upon. At the golden hour, the harmony between the concrete and the local sandstone is intensified and the materials reflect to the sun to offer a colorful counterpoint to the blue of the sea.
It is this unique scenery that bloom created for the next Cambodian generation.
Antoine Meinnel / Bloom Architecture
Team: Antoine Meinnel, Cristina Toran, Heng Thanak, Orng Phalla, Heng Sereyvathana, Ngeth Chulong, Korn Seinekoun, Ny Kechseang
Photographer: Greg Mo
Contractor: BSN Construction Company