national stadium

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The National Stadium

Services:
Consultancy and Research

How do we contemporize an iconic national monument while preserving its history?

 
 

A historical landmark, the Olympic Stadium (officially, the National Stadium) is one of the few remaining public spaces amidst a rapidly developing city. It stands as a monument to  Cambodia’s artistic and cultural ‘Golden Age’ 60 years ago, and the unique style of architecture that emerged during that time - New Khmer Architecture.

It was within this context that we were given the opportunity by the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport to contemporize the National Stadium.So, how exactly does one go about contemporizing a historical monument?

It’s an ongoing process, but it made sense for us to start by understanding who its users are, which prior to COVID-19 could be up to 5,000 in a day. We began going on site to observe and conduct some light research, then later we set up an office at the stadium and fully immersed ourselves in its activities.

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We met with the sports federations, played Petanque with world champions, organised community events, discussed safety and traffic flow with its security team, ran laps with Phnom Penh’s health buffs at dawn, listened to the vendors and their needs, and hung out with the uncle that sits on the bench playing his guitar at 4 pm. Only then did we start to really define the needs of the stadium.

Equipped with fresh insights, we went about charting a course with the Stadium committee. Our tasks fell into two buckets, ones that are more public and community-facing, and others that are more focused on facilities, building systems and standardizing the stadium’s processes in order to establish its position as a significant contemporary icon and a professional establishment. 

 

The Stadium in Numbers 

  • Up to 5000 users in a day (pre-COVID)

  • 16 Sports Federations

What’s Been Done So Far? 

  • 1 Brand Positioning and Branding + Key Messaging

  • 1 New Logo and Guideline

  • 1 Health and Safety SOPs

  • 1 Traffic Flow Plan

  • 1 Cleaning Training

  • 1 Community Event

  • 58 Social Media Posts

  • 1 Public Park Plan in Progress

 

We’ve had to put a pause on our activities since the National Stadium was converted into a much-needed treatment center, but watch this space for future activities and latest updates!

 

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