For some inexplicable reason, in the heyday of modernist architecture, three countries in the whole world took to the style and made it their own; adapting it to their warm climates and creating a unique vernacular that became known as tropical modernism.
One of those countries was Brazil. Another was Senegal. And the third was Cambodia.
Long before the word Cambodia became synonymous with mass graves and weird fanatical ‘burn all the books and get back to the land’ movements, the Khmer Kingdom was an oasis of style, civility, chilled white wine and gorgeous buildings. Straight lines and elegantly simple design were things at which French and Cambodian architects excelled.
For years, this precious building heritage went to seed as the Khmers Rouges carried out their well-documented evils.
But now, with prosperity taking root in some parts of the country and a steady upmarket tourist trade, certain groups of people are finding it worthwhile to restore parts of this impressive collection of construction; and it appears that visitors will be able to enjoy its rich bank of architecture once more.
The most impressive example of this I have seen so far is the breathtaking Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Siem Reap.
The original FCC in Phnom Penh is a very pleasant place to while away an evening; drinking beer and eating delicious nouveau-Australian influenced food under rotating fans while watching the crowds on their nightly promenade along the banks of the Mekong River.
But it is with their second venture that the owners have excelled themselves, creating something in a different league entirely.
The Siem Reap Foreign Correspondents’ Club is housed in the former French governor’s summer residence. A classic airy colonial structure, the establishment offers all the charm of the Phnom Penh original and then some. But it is the hotel rooms that are the gems of this particular enterprise.
Housed in a long, low, flat-roofed cream building, shaded by a beautiful 100-year-old tree which must have seen some intriguing things in its history, and built around a rectangular black-tiled infinity pool, the rooms seem to capture a not-too-distant age of modernist elegance while connecting firmly with the present.
After a hot day spent wandering through the elaborate ruins of the Angkor complex, the head swims with ornate images and curved carvings. A long dip in the pool to bring the body temperature down, a shower in the golden-lit sandstone bathrooms and an icy evening cocktail among the refreshing clean lines of the FCC is the perfect antidote to the symptoms of temple fatigue.
Showing posts with label Architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Architecture. Show all posts
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Diplomatic immunity.
If a national embassy is the physical expression of the values of a country overseas, then there must be some truly awful countries in this world.
Most of the embassies in Bangkok are nondescript affairs: small suites in anonymous office blocks; converted houses ill-suited to the task of housing a diplomatic staff; or tacky 1970s monstrosities that were without a doubt hopelessly outdated before the cement was even dry. (Yes, Australia, I am talking about you.)
Happily, as ever, there are exceptions to the majority. Some countries obviously recognise the importance of showing a dignified front to the world, not to mention placing some value on the pride their nationals are able to feel when strolling through the doors of a suitably grand edifice representing their country.
Fittingly, for the European country that was first off the blocks in arriving in Asia, the crème de la crème of ambassadorial style is represented by none other than the Portuguese. It’s impossible to beat a beautiful, high-walled residence that has been on the same site for nigh on two hundred years. The lush location of the Portuguese Embassy on the banks of the Chao Phraya places the Atlantic Republic squarely in the number one spot in this particular ranking.
But before Portuguese readers start breaking out the bacalhau and vinho verde in celebration, they should know that their accolade is a shared one. Their fellow Europeans, the French, can lay claim to an identically beautiful location. Slightly further south than Portugal’s site, the French embassy looks across a perfectly-tended lawn onto the river, affording passengers on river transport the opportunity to gaze longingly at its perfectly-proportioned Doric columns shaded by old tropical palms.
In keeping their beautiful riverside sites, the Portuguese and the French displayed a foresight that the British sadly lacked – and continue to lack. They sold their riverside plot a long time ago in favour of cheaper land in Ploenchit. (Old habits die hard; now they’ve been offered a decent price, they’ve sold most of that plot too, and yet another shopping mall is being built on the land as I write. If they continue the trend, the world’s fourth largest economy will soon be represented in Bangkok by a small prefabricated hut in outer Ladprao. In this listing, the British get zero points.)
The French score extra points for their additional Sathorn Road visa section, coupled with the neighbouring Alliance Francaise. A tropical modernist gem with a café attached open to the general public, and a comprehensive public education programme in French, Thai and English, the Republique Francaise really punches above its weight when it comes to contributing to the cultural life of the city.
Holland, as may be expected from a nation with such a strong design sensibility, offers a positive contribution to the architectural mosaic of Bangkok with a suitably elegant offering. Its main entrance on the wonderfully leafy Soi Tonson – appropriately, requiring a short walk across a canal – the Netherlands Embassy is a decent example of early 90s design and Hollanders could be forgiven for feeling a little pride that their embassy has more to offer in the way of aesthetic appeal than those of many much larger countries (the neighbouring US embassy included).
Another country that clearly recognises the fact that a small population doesn’t have to mean an anonymous diplomatic presence is Singapore. On Sathorn Road, a few hundred metres past the hideous orange Australian offering, the stylishly low-slung Singapore embassy is an exercise in taste and refinement. From the untreated concrete walls with their Tadao Ando-style regular punched holes to the distressed metal and classic typography on the signage, the designers in the island republic clearly have the right books in their reference library. In fact, it can be no coincidence that as soon as the newly-built Singapore embassy opened, the Saudi embassy next door was pulled down and construction began just days after. This sort of healthy international rivalry is more than welcome by the design-minded diplomatic observer.
In Wireless Road, the new Japanese Embassy is not so much a diplomatic facility as an entire neighbourhood. Covering an entire city block and then some, the Japanese must have some very serious business indeed in Thailand to justify such an enormous construction.
Portugal, France, Holland, Singapore, Japan: all worthy competitors. But all, surprisingly, beaten by the newest-built embassy in the city: an embassy representing a country that would normally never in a million years be associated with outstanding modernist architecture.
On the route linking Sukhumvit Soi 49 with Asoke, behind the main Sukhumvit Road and only a few doors away from Spring/Summer, an incredible new construction has been taking shape over the past few months. It would not be out of place in Paris as a gorgeous new state-funded art gallery; it would fit perfectly in Oslo as an airport terminal or hotel. Two stunning glass cubes, a concrete walkway surrounding a rectangular lake, a beautiful manicured lawn and spectacular lighting at night. Luckily for Bangkok residents, it is none of these things: rather, it is, incredibly, the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Thailand.
They can continue with their dubious nuclear programme; they can elect all the loopy presidents they want; they can make all the belligerent threats to neighbouring countries they see fit. As long as they keep building structures as beautiful as this, all is forgiven.
Most of the embassies in Bangkok are nondescript affairs: small suites in anonymous office blocks; converted houses ill-suited to the task of housing a diplomatic staff; or tacky 1970s monstrosities that were without a doubt hopelessly outdated before the cement was even dry. (Yes, Australia, I am talking about you.)
Happily, as ever, there are exceptions to the majority. Some countries obviously recognise the importance of showing a dignified front to the world, not to mention placing some value on the pride their nationals are able to feel when strolling through the doors of a suitably grand edifice representing their country.
Fittingly, for the European country that was first off the blocks in arriving in Asia, the crème de la crème of ambassadorial style is represented by none other than the Portuguese. It’s impossible to beat a beautiful, high-walled residence that has been on the same site for nigh on two hundred years. The lush location of the Portuguese Embassy on the banks of the Chao Phraya places the Atlantic Republic squarely in the number one spot in this particular ranking.
But before Portuguese readers start breaking out the bacalhau and vinho verde in celebration, they should know that their accolade is a shared one. Their fellow Europeans, the French, can lay claim to an identically beautiful location. Slightly further south than Portugal’s site, the French embassy looks across a perfectly-tended lawn onto the river, affording passengers on river transport the opportunity to gaze longingly at its perfectly-proportioned Doric columns shaded by old tropical palms.
In keeping their beautiful riverside sites, the Portuguese and the French displayed a foresight that the British sadly lacked – and continue to lack. They sold their riverside plot a long time ago in favour of cheaper land in Ploenchit. (Old habits die hard; now they’ve been offered a decent price, they’ve sold most of that plot too, and yet another shopping mall is being built on the land as I write. If they continue the trend, the world’s fourth largest economy will soon be represented in Bangkok by a small prefabricated hut in outer Ladprao. In this listing, the British get zero points.)
The French score extra points for their additional Sathorn Road visa section, coupled with the neighbouring Alliance Francaise. A tropical modernist gem with a café attached open to the general public, and a comprehensive public education programme in French, Thai and English, the Republique Francaise really punches above its weight when it comes to contributing to the cultural life of the city.
Holland, as may be expected from a nation with such a strong design sensibility, offers a positive contribution to the architectural mosaic of Bangkok with a suitably elegant offering. Its main entrance on the wonderfully leafy Soi Tonson – appropriately, requiring a short walk across a canal – the Netherlands Embassy is a decent example of early 90s design and Hollanders could be forgiven for feeling a little pride that their embassy has more to offer in the way of aesthetic appeal than those of many much larger countries (the neighbouring US embassy included).
Another country that clearly recognises the fact that a small population doesn’t have to mean an anonymous diplomatic presence is Singapore. On Sathorn Road, a few hundred metres past the hideous orange Australian offering, the stylishly low-slung Singapore embassy is an exercise in taste and refinement. From the untreated concrete walls with their Tadao Ando-style regular punched holes to the distressed metal and classic typography on the signage, the designers in the island republic clearly have the right books in their reference library. In fact, it can be no coincidence that as soon as the newly-built Singapore embassy opened, the Saudi embassy next door was pulled down and construction began just days after. This sort of healthy international rivalry is more than welcome by the design-minded diplomatic observer.
In Wireless Road, the new Japanese Embassy is not so much a diplomatic facility as an entire neighbourhood. Covering an entire city block and then some, the Japanese must have some very serious business indeed in Thailand to justify such an enormous construction.
Portugal, France, Holland, Singapore, Japan: all worthy competitors. But all, surprisingly, beaten by the newest-built embassy in the city: an embassy representing a country that would normally never in a million years be associated with outstanding modernist architecture.
On the route linking Sukhumvit Soi 49 with Asoke, behind the main Sukhumvit Road and only a few doors away from Spring/Summer, an incredible new construction has been taking shape over the past few months. It would not be out of place in Paris as a gorgeous new state-funded art gallery; it would fit perfectly in Oslo as an airport terminal or hotel. Two stunning glass cubes, a concrete walkway surrounding a rectangular lake, a beautiful manicured lawn and spectacular lighting at night. Luckily for Bangkok residents, it is none of these things: rather, it is, incredibly, the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Thailand.
They can continue with their dubious nuclear programme; they can elect all the loopy presidents they want; they can make all the belligerent threats to neighbouring countries they see fit. As long as they keep building structures as beautiful as this, all is forgiven.
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