The Tapestry is a nature-centric garment production factory located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It reimagines the working environment in an otherwise harsh industrial setting, with an inspiration from the weaving concept of the traditional Khmer textile. The facility features locally sourced ordinary bricks. These intricate brick walls are arranged in square patchwork patterns that transform the façade with lights and shadows. The objective of this envelope is to encourage social connection and to enhance the wellness of the workers.

The highlight of the scheme is a series of brick façades that blends lush greenery and interactive spaces, allowing the building to breathe and to come alive. This fusion fosters interaction for a comfortable, community-orientated work environment. The brickwork is a passive design strategy optimising the sun shading and balancing the natural ventilation possibilities. These sustainable features reduce energy consumption while ensuring a comfortable workspace. The overall ambience is a layered green oasis that offers respites and enriches one’s work life.

A regular structural grid forms the fundamental design order for buildability and scalability in the context. Each of the small square frames created enables diverse creative intervention to suit the need of the interior. With the modular approach, there is flexibility to the creation of programmes by varying the configuration of the space to suit future needs.

Photography: Chu Yang Keng