The Gong: Reviving the Sound of Cambodia

A gong is a metallic percussion instrument that is played to maintain rhythm throughout a composition. The deeply resonant sound of a gong—often played at ceremonies or officiations—is also used to symbolically mark new beginnings.

This is what The Gong, the largest music hall and cultural centre in Cambodia, is setting out to do: marking a new chapter in the country’s cultural education and maintaining it for posterity.

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THE (NEAR) END AND REBIRTH OF THE ARTS

Unlike other countries in Southeast Asia, Cambodia has not fully recovered from decades of civil war that culminated in genocide in the late 1970s.¹ At that time, the Khmer Rouge regime targeted the artistic and intellectual classes² and almost completely banned all forms of cultural knowledge, including music and dance. This led to a dearth of information for the next generation about their heritage and tradition.³

In the years since, the preservation of Cambodian traditional music became a form of resistance by survivors, such as the late master musician Kong Nay who had travelled around the country to teach folk music to the next generation.⁴ Today, the contemporary music scene is flourishing among Cambodia’s youth, despite facing challenges such as an underdeveloped arts education in schools.⁵

Located one hour north of Phnom Penh in the Sameakki Mean Chey district, The Gong is part of the Smiling Gecko Educational Campus, which aims to provide young Cambodians with education that is in line with international standards. Music, dance and theatre are taught at the campus, which is particularly important for children and young adults who could not learn such knowledge elsewhere.

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CLIMATE-RESPONSIVE FUNCTIONS

The circular shape of the building not only represents the ancient Khmer gong instrument, but also helps the structure regulate its microclimate naturally. The shape is more resistant against winds while encouraging air to circulate within indoor corridors. Natural ventilation and sunlight are brought in through perforated slits on the brick façade, the result of an ornamental brick-laying technique developed with local builders. Inside, the recording studios are especially protected with a double-layer building envelope that shields them from the weather.

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PROJECT DATA

Project Name
The Gong

Location
Sameakki Mean Chey District, Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia

Completion Date
June 2024

Gross Floor Area
1,200 square metres

Building Height
9.6 metres

Client/Owner
Smiling Gecko Cambodia

Architecture Firm
Atelier oï

Principal Architect
Atelier oï

Civil & Structural Engineer
RKC Engineering and Construction, Cambodia

Landscape Architect
Smiling Gecko Cambodia

Photos
Smiling Gecko Cambodia

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¹ “Literacy and Education under the Khmer Rouge”. George Chigas and Dmitri Mosyakov, The Cambodian Genocide Program, Yale University (https://gsp.yale.edu/literacy-and-education-under-khmer-rouge)
² “How Cambodian music survived the horrors of the Khmers Rouges”, The Economist (https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/01/12/how-cambodian-music-survived-the-horrors-of-the-khmers-rouges)
³ “Traditional musical instruments of Cambodia”. UNESCO: UNESDOC Digital Library (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000135257)
⁴ “The Music of Cambodia: A Rough Guide”. John Clewley, Songlines (https://www.songlines. co.uk/the-rough-guide-to-world-music/the-music-of-cambodia-a-rough-guide)
⁵ “Tunes of Today: Youth Culture and Music in Modern Cambodia”, When In Phnom Penh (https://wheninphnompenh.com/tunes-of-today-youth-culture-and-music-in-modern-cambodia/)