.png)
Future Forum's young research fellow, Setha Leakhana and Prak Norak, was published in Cambodianess on July 15, 2024. Check out the original article HERE, and read it below!
Shophouses have become a popular trend among Borey developers in recent decades. These linked-style residential structures are often planned to line a main street or even form an entire block.
Original shophouse development in Cambodia dates to the colonial era, with designs often featuring ornate facades, wooden shutters, and intricate detailing. Many of these early shophouses lacked a rooftop terrace, as shophouses still used slanted roofs or gabled roofs.
It wasn’t until the Sankum era that we began to see shophouses as multi-family dwellings with a flat terrace as a rooftop. The "Sangkum period" was Norodom Sihanouk's first government of Cambodia from 1953 until 1970. This was a key phase in Cambodian history.
In that era, the community spaces for the residents were the courtyard enclosed by rows of shophouse apartments and occasionally their rooftop as well.
In modern day, these courtyards are rarely seen due to later versions of neighborhood blocks becoming more linear; creating alleyways instead. Rooftop shared spaces can still be seen and used among old shophouse-apartments in the Ouressey neighborhood but not among newer Borey shophouses.
Now if we look at the present version of shophouses, you see remnants of both the colonial and the Sankum-era’s layout. Today’s shophouse is now a single household home with no apartment on top but retains the rooftop terrace from the ‘50s and ‘60s.
This rooftop space is the most under-utilized part of the entire building. In most cases, this space is either used as a storage and laundry area or left altogether empty, aside from occasional use for special events like family parties. For many shophouses, the rooftop does not have barriers blocking the neighbors from one another, yet these spaces are rarely used as gathering space to bring neighbors together.
The irony of this situation is that we want a house that has more space but we will never use that space to the fullest. We have a space that is shared physically together between neighbors but we rarely use it to connect with each other.
These parts of the shophouse that are underused, hold incredible potential as community spaces, particularly in corners of Phnom Penh that lack places for neighbors to gather.
Challenges and Opportunities of Rooftop Transformations
In the last two decades, we have seen two types of shophouse. One with a closed roof and the other with an open terrace. Only the latter has the potential to become a shared community space. But at the ground level, both retain the same characteristics. An alleyway at the back or just closed-off outdoor kitchens instead of a shared courtyard, and the front is often for parking or shop frontage in the case of commercial street.
Overall, because of space limitations, commercial needs, and security considerations, it makes sense to dedicate the rooftop as a social space, rather than to make this space on the ground floor. Many of the shophouses in Phnom Penh dedicate their ground floor to commercial space.
Secondly, these streets are filled with chaotic city traffic, making them dangerous and unhealthy for leisure activities, especially for children, and the elderly. With rooftops at a higher level, they can provide a safer space and a way to separate oneself from the noisy street below. Thirdly, placing these communal spaces on rooftops can create an uninterrupted social exchange space between neighbors.
But we should also address the challenges of accessibility to rooftop spaces for certain family members who may have disabilities. This has been a long recurring problem for residents living in shophouses and shophouse-apartments yet with current technology, there are options for an in-house elevator, although costly and reliant on electricity.
Another challenge is the uncoordinated nature of shophouse upward extensions. Some neighbors might decide to expand upward while some don’t, creating uneven rooftop levels. If the rooftop height difference is not greater than one floor, then it can still be integrated playfully into the shared rooftop through stairs or step seatings.
Benefits of Rooftop Communal Spaces and Activities
In urban settings where solid brick and concrete buildings dominate the skyline, rooftop spaces have the potential to provide a much-needed escape to the outdoors, allowing sunlight and fresh air exposure. In this type of urban setting roof spaces can serve as crucial areas for relaxation and exercise.
In other contexts, institutions have found that turning rooftops into green spaces create huge benefits, even when the rooftop isn’t open to the public.
For instance, some health facilities in the West have adopted the concept of rooftop healing gardens. These gardens were transformed on the unused rooftop spaces of hospital buildings. For example, Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California provided no physical access, but viewing access to their extensive green roof from patients' rooms reduced physical symptoms and increased overall wellness.
Likewise, Metro Health University of Michigan researched their hospital's green roof, stating that "access to natural scenery from patient rooms may significantly decrease their length of stay and medication use.”
Rooftop gardens in Phnom Penh might be most beneficial to elderly residents, who are often left alone during working hours on a usual day, resulting in a psychological reduction of cognitive function. Community rooftop space would give them more freedom to exercise, move around uninterrupted by traffic, and socialize safely, with secure access to the rooftop. These spaces could also serve as a safe and secure playground for children, allowing neighborhood kids to meet and play away from the dangers of traffic.
Environmentally, greenery on rooftops can also help to mitigate the urban heat island effect, enhance air circulation, improve air quality, and provide natural insulation for the floors below. Environmentally speaking, this positively impacts the micro-climate of the neighborhood. So, it’s safe to say that the spaces on the roofs will benefit mental, physical, and social health within the community.
Lastly, spaces with a clear and elevated view are good for the mind and soul. Imagine the feeling when we look out from our balcony or from the top of the mountain in comparison to when we are in a basement garage or in a very small enclosed room. The elevation of spaces and openness of the space can hold significant properties in human perception.
Rooftops can also offer some fresh perspective. When we can gaze upward and see the cityscape differently, it changes the rhythm of daily life, and allows us to think about the contrast between the old and new elements in the lower urban levels.
In reference, American psychologists Altaher Yara and Runnerstorm Miryha conducted research on psychological restoration practices for college students. The study shows that highly comfortable rest facilities with views can facilitate students’ static leisure behavioral patterns and help them achieve emotional regulation and psychological restoration.
Hence, this rooftop experience can work as fuel for creative minds and a buffer for the mental slowdown of everyday routine life. And with the right design concepts, the experience will undoubtedly get a good boost.
Design Recommendations
In order to create safe, accessible, green and inviting shophouse rooftops, designers and homeowners should consider a few key transformations for shophouse rooftops.
Establishing safety measures for rooftop spaces should not be overlooked. The safety-first rule applies to the correct height of barriers, such as handrails on the perimeter of the rooftops, with a railing of 1200 millimeters minimum. Gap of posts must be 100 millimeters wide to prevent small children from fitting into the gap through the rails. In case of an item dropping, it gives extra safety to offset around 500 millimeters of the handrail from the roof edge.
If possible, the neighborhood can consider an external staircase leading to the transformed roof. This would include other neighbors into the space, if all residents of the block agree on it. Or an elevator within the house for the elderly or disabled family members. Currently it is uncommon among Cambodian households due to the nature of shophouse layout and frequent blackouts each year. But it provides practical benefits for all ages and abilities.
Incorporating greenery with plants, shrubs, and small trees should be done wherever possible. For colonial-style shophouses with central staircases, vertical gardens can add color and freshness to the core of the building.
INKEK, Institute for Climate and Energy Concept in Germany, found that the heat load has steadily increased with housing development. As such, experts recommend reducing direct solar radiation and heat accumulation which can be through creating green zones.
Greenery is about more than just aesthetics, imagine a community roof garden with edible plants and flowers that could be created for residents’ consumption and interactive activities. These types of spaces not only improve general health but also lighten the mood and lower stress levels. Community members can chip in to care for the garden whenever possible.
Creating lounging areas by organizing the space with benches, hammocks, and cozy corners also encourages people to linger and allows elders to socialize during their family members' working hours. The space can be decorated with plants and trellises to shade the space. With Cambodia’s climate reaching as high as 45 degrees Celsius, it is a great addition.
As day turns to night, soft, ambient lighting would extend the usability of the space, ensuring it remains a welcoming spot after dusk. These lights could be solar-powered.
Moreover, art installations and community notice boards can be focal points, sparking engagement and conversation. The rooftop might even become a venue to host community events.
Shophouse rooftops might host such as community gardening, collaborative projects, kids shows, and after-work hangouts. Bonding over social events would give our communities a strong bond beyond living in the same structure and provides a sense of security among the residents. Ideally the homeowners might even take turns organizing events. The elderly or teens, for example, can take charge of the role.
There are so many possibilities for these underused areas, and all it takes is for communities to take the initiative, begin these transformations, and decide what they want from these spaces.
In conclusion, shophouse roofs hold immense potential in strengthening the urban living conditions of Cambodia’s citizens. The versatility of these humble spaces demonstrate that we can create vibrant, sustainable, socially connected neighborhoods by reimagining them.
Even if implementing them comes with many challenges of its own, communities should look to these rooftops and imagine a more cohesive neighborhood among residents. What may be an idea could be a reality.
Setha Leakhena is a registered architect under the Board of Architects Cambodia. She has been practicing architecture since 2010 after graduating from the Moscow Institute of Architecture. Prak Norak is an architecture and urban planning student at Pannasastra University of Cambodia. He has an interest in designing spaces that are livable, foster human activities and interactions.
Comments