Research for Better Quality of Urban Life: the Build4People Project
The Build4People project aims to research and promote the use of sustainable buildings and sustainable urbanization through re-configuring the urban transformation pathway of Phnom Penh. Thereby, it focuses on people’s aspirations and their behaviour. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Our project promotes sustainable buildings and sustainable urban development from a people-centred perspective. We aim at lowered greenhouse gas, pollutant emissions, a better indoor environment, an increase of urban green, a healthier urban climate. Read more.
The trans-disciplinary Build4People project connects scientific-conceptional and analytical aspects. The superior normative bracket is always the urban quality of life. We align people’s needs and aspirations with tools to benefit their living. Read more.
Cambodia’s traditional architecture took climate conditions into account. Today dynamic economic growth affects the way buildings are built and operated which is not energy-efficient nor tropical climate adapted. Reasons enough for B4P. Read more.
10 partners across continents join forces to implement 7 work packages: from Behaviour Change, Sustainable Buildings and Neighbourhoods, to Urban Green, Urban Climate to Sustainable Urban Transformation and Coordination. Read more.
Project Approach
The Build4People project considers sustainable, people-centred urban development as a crosscutting task. A genuinely people-centred planning system can neither be expected to “evolve by itself” nor is it feasible through legal regulations only. Our diverse team includes Cambodian and German partners which cooperate on a trans-disciplinary basis. Together they will develop innovative concepts aimed at urban sustainability that are based on scientific and regional expertise. The integrating link of our scientific-conceptional, analytical and normative dimension is the urban quality of life, which we consider to be the general foundation for our people-driven approach. The research consortium will carry out field research together with the most renowned local universities. Based on these insights, context-specific interventions will be implemented together with a number of core actors most important of all the Phnom Penh Capital Hall and the developer company Peng Huoth Group. Locally established multipliers such as the European Chamber of Commerce or the Center for Khmer Studies will support the dissemination of our approaches.
A strong partnership to deliver research results
Academic Quality We gathered a team with a proven record of academic excellence, extensive regional expertise and solid project experience.
Transdisciplinary Approach We draw from expertise and methods from Human Geography, Architecture, Urban Planning, Enviromental Psychology, Civil Engineering, Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics and Climate Research.
Cross-border cooperation German Universities and private sector actors collaborate with Cambodia partners from the academic arena, the municial setting and responsible ministrial offices.
The work package teams cooperate together, share their findings and develop joint deliverables as part of action research processes. Tools and products systematically build upon each other. Learning curves and feedback loops are incorporated into the project design.
Build4People is very proud to announce the 5th video clip of its online exhibition “Cambodia’s Green Pioneers”, introducing Saroth Tonn and his family. Saroth is a fierce bicycle 🚲 enthusiast who is regularly organizing bicycle trips for his family and his friends in and around Phnom Penh.
In his opinion, all mothers and fathers should be role models and motivate their children to do sport, for example to encourage them to bike. Saroth is convinced, that spending time with the children, to push them and make the kids want to try and not to get bored or disappointed, will provide enjoyable experiences for both parents and kids. Furthermore, the family biking will make the kids to appreciate the city’s surrounding beautiful nature and landscape.
Over and above, it has to mentioned that Saroth’s cycling approach has also positive effects to reduce mental stress and to improve physical health.💡💪🏼 🚲💚 🚴🏽♀️🇰🇭
Build4People is very proud to announce the 4rth video clip of its online exhibition “Cambodia’s Green Pioneers”, introducing Kongngy Hav. He is the founder of the social enterprise “My Dream Home” to make affordable housing available in Cambodia, thereby introducing an interlocking brick system made from compressed soil and cement. 💡🧱🧩👷🏽♀️💚🇰🇭
These eco-friendly interlocking bricks significantly reduce the use of sand, cement, and energy compared to traditional red bricks, and they thus leave a lower carbon footprint. The use of non-arable topsoil for brick production aligns with the circular economy’s circularity principle, by reusing a resource – soil – that is typically discarded and used for construction filling. Unlike traditional red clay bricks, which require firing – and in Cambodia, burning wood is most often used for this process – “My Dream Home” bricks undergo compression manufacturing, which leaves a minimal carbon footprint.
In this way Kongngy Hav’s innovative approach has a positive effect on natural resource use, as it promotes material efficiency, waste reduction and all in all a lower carbon footprint.💡🧱🧩👷🏽♀️💚🇰🇭.
This first clip of the B4P Snapshot Interview Series was done on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 08 March 2025.
Build4People interviewed Ms. Sokunlanita May, who founded the W.A.E. – Women in Architecture and Engineering, to strengthen the role of women in Cambodia’s building industry. In the course of the interview, she provided insights why she founded W.A.E. and how she perceives its role as well as how she envisages the future collaboration with the Build4People project.
Build4People is very proud to announce the 3rd video clip of its online exhibition “Cambodia’s Green Pioneers”, introducing Chansopheak Hem, creator of the Pteah Chas Community and founder of the Phnom Penh Houseplant Festival 💡🪴💚🌸🇰🇭.
Promoting environmentally friendly behavior and sustainable entrepreneurship must be regarded as key challenges of Cambodia. The vivid economic development of this emerging country has led to increasing incomes among its urban population but was also responsible for dramatic effects on the environment and urban quality of life. To name just a few the continuous loss of green spaces and water bodies, increasing air pollution, abundant traffic jams and enormous waste problems.
Against this backdrop, Build4People aims to raise awareness of these problems among the urban citizens, which serves as an important prerequisite for behavior change. By providing visibility and public acknowledgement to pioneers of pro-environmental behaviour, they can function as role models, inspiring the people to act in a more environmentally friendly way.
The Build4People Online Exhibition “Cambodia’s Green Pioneers” is therefore considered as an important participatory intervention to support a change of mindset among Cambodia’s population. The aim is to use role models to strengthen social norms, enhance people’s self-efficacy, and encourage more environmentally friendly everyday behaviors. By featuring a diverse set of sustainability pioneers, we aim to inspire the urban population to replicate their sustainable lifestyles.
The 3rd video clip of the Build4People Online Exhibition “Cambodia’s Green Pioneers” introduces Chansopheak Hem, founder of the Pteah Chas Community and founder of the Phnom Penh Houseplant Festival. Through his initiative, a heritage shophouse in the centre of Phnom Penh got preserved and converted into a green community and co-working space dedicated for creative entrepreneurs as well into a vibrant exhibition and lecture space attracting Cambodia’s young generation💡💚🇰🇭.
Furthermore, Chansopheak Hem initiated the first Phnom Penh Houseplant Festival in 2021. In spring 2025, already the fourth Phnom Penh Plant and Garden Fair took place at the Connexion building of Koh Pich, Phnom Penh, which got sponsored by the property development company OCIC Group. 🪴💚🇰🇭.
