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).

Project Objectives

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.

Project Originality

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.

Project Relevance

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.

Project Set-up

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 β€œevolve 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 Administration. Locally established multipliers such as the European Chamber of Commerce or the Cambodia Architect & Decor fair 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.

Latest News

Stay up-to-date with our latest activities

Build4People Science Workshop of Work Package #2 Sustainable Building: β€˜Sustainable building dimensions & solutions for Phnom Penh and Cambodia pt.2’

On the 07 March 2023, the 4th Science Workshop of WP2 β€œSustainable Building” took place at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC). This workshop was a continuation of the 3rd workshop on 29 September 2022 where questions about what is a sustainable building in Cambodia and what are the most important environmental challenges that should be considered when such a definition is attempted were asked. So, the purpose of this follow-up workshop was to present the results of its predecessor but also the work of the ITC students that recently participated in the Build4People’s EcoCity Transition Lab 2023 in cooperation with Peng Huoth Group, Cambodias most renowned developer company. 

Multiple Cambodian and international researchers presented their work, amongst them the WP2’s Cambodian research partners Dr. Virak Han and Dr. Kinnaleth Vongchanh.

The workshop started with the WP2 leader, Prof. Dr. Dirk Schwede, introducing the project and agenda of the workshop. 

Next Christina Karagianni from WP2 presented the results from an online questionnaire-based survey about environmental challenges in Cambodia; the survey revealed among others that issues of AC use are quite understood amongst people familiar with sustainable building concepts, on the other hand it seems there is a lack of understanding of issues of resource efficiency.

Following up, Prof. Dr. Dirk Schwede introduced the results from the recent Build4People Ecocity Transition Lab. At this collaborative workshop process two groups of students from ITC participated and presented their own insightful analysis and results.

After the end of their presentation, certificates of contribution were handed out to each student on behalf of the Build4People project and of ITC.

After a short break Dr. Kinnaleth Vongchanh gave a presentation about the consideration of the energy efficiency in building design. The workshop was concluded with a final presentation by Dr. Virak Han about the Build4People organised building audit and measurement campaign in residential buildings in Phnom Penh.

We want to kindly thank ITC for supporting and co-organising this event and all of the presenters and participants for sharing their research and insights from Cambodia.

Build4People WP#4 “Urban Green Infrastructures” Science Workshop at Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh

On 06 March 2023, the Build4People WP#4 Science workshop was held at Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), Phnom Penh. Besides staff and students from RUA the workshop was joined by the representatives from Build4People WP#1 β€œBehaviour Change”, WP#2 β€œSustainable Building” and WP#5 β€œUrban Climate”.

Dr Sanara Hor, Vice-Dean of Faculty of Land Management and Land Administration (FLMLA), facilitated the workshop. 

The event included a capacity building workshop followed by a discussion about the future project activities. 

WP#4 leader Professor Dr Jan-Peter Mund and WP#5 leader Prof. Dr. Lutz Katzschner presented on time series analysis and urban climate.

The subsequent practical session were conducted by WP#4 Research Associate Gulam Mohiuddin”.

The WP#4 team would like to thank all participants for their active participation and the vivid discussions.

As a modest recognition for the preparation efforts, WP#4 leader, Prof. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund handed over a special edition of the Architecture Guide Phnom Penh to Vice-Dean of Faculty of Land Management and Land Administration (FLMLA), Dr. Sanara Hor.

Build4People Ecocity Transition Lab 2023 Presentation Conference at PH Grand Hall

On 03 March 2023, the Build4People Ecocity Transition Lab 2023 Presentation Conference took place at the Grand Hall of Borey Peng Huoth.

During this event, the different working groups presented their empirical results after an intensive week of multidisciplinary joint analysis with the aim to develop potential micro-interventions and preliminary guideline ideas to foster a more sustainable development of Peng Huoth group, Cambodia most renowned developer company.

The Build4People team and its local research partners are deeply grateful that Peng Huoth Group has supported this truly innovative approach between the corporate sector and the academia to jointly elaborate new innovative ideas visions to achieve a higher quality of urban life without compromising sustainability goals.

Please find some impressions below.

A extensive documentation of the whole Build4People Ecocity Transition Lab 2023 process will soon be published at the Event-section of the Build4People website.

Lunch Invitation at the Residence of the German ambassador in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia

On 02 March 2023, the German Build4People team got invited for lunch at the residence of the German ambassador in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia, Stephan Messerer.

The lunch event was joined by Dr. Heike Bauer, coordinator of the BMBF Funding Priority SURE (Sustainable Development of Urban Regions), representing the DLR Project Management Agency (funding Agency on behalf of the German Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF) and Dr. Stephan Anders, Director Network & Consulting of the German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB) and member of the Build4People Scientific Advisory Board.

The German ambassador Stephan Messerer used this opportunity to get a more detailed impression of the research and implementation orientated activities of the Build4People project and to get to know the different research team members on a personal level.

In the further course of the lunch, the Stephan Messerer introduced about the German cooperation approaches with the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia and entered a discussion about sustainability challenges with various Build4People team members.

The whole German Build4People team is very grateful for this unique opportunity to connect to the highest representative of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia and would like to very much thank the ambassador Stephan Messerer for this.