Yost Grube Hall Architecture has been selected for a new overseas higher education project: a state-of-the-art campus for the American University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The firm recently completed such work as master plans for the University of Botswana and American University of Afghanistan.
Founded in 2013, the American University of Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s newest institution of higher learning, and the only one to offer a curriculum based on that used at major universities in the U.S. Its mission is to help students gain the skills, values, and knowledge they will need to succeed in the rapidly changing world of the twenty-first century.
“The goal is to provide the highest quality education in Cambodia,” said Nels Hall, president of YGH. “American professors utilize a rigorous English curriculum and innovative learning techniques to prepare students for the global marketplace and potential advanced studies in the U.S.”
In support of that mission, the university—together with YGH and a local Phnom Penh architecture firm—has embarked on an ambitious campus design that addresses the facilities and resources students would expect to find on any modern campus. The plan includes a library and resource center, computer and science laboratories, spaces for individual and group study and learning, as well as indoor and outdoor dining and meeting areas, and a 250-seat auditorium. Flexible learning environments will allow both traditional lecture-style classes as well as small group discussion and project work.
“The proposed state-of-the-art facilities for science, math, computer science, and the humanities support degree programs in business, economics, law, and political science,” said Hall. “The facilities accommodate collaborative learning to develop critical thinking and communication skills. A central resource center encourages full day and evening use.”
The first phase in this project will be a five-story university building designed to accommodate a rapidly expanding student population. Construction is scheduled to begin this year.
