Neeson Cripps Academy

The Neeson Cripps Academy is a school for secondary education in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Velcro Companies gifted this building to the Cambodian Children’s Fund, an organization founded by Scott Neeson. The new building is named after Neeson and former Velcro Group Chairman, Robert Cripps. The school provides high-quality education to the city’s most disadvantaged children, with a robust English language program, STEAM subjects, and access to the latest digital technologies.

Inspired by Cambodia’s rich cultural history, the school incorporates traditional Khmer textile patterns with imprints on exposed concrete details, and locally made terracotta tiles imprinted with the stitching patterns prevalent in Ikat, a method of weaving that is passed down through generations by hand memory. The building’s design is informed by the vernacular, while providing an environment for educating the next generation of Cambodia’s leaders.

The school building is conceived in two parts. A long, east-west oriented wing takes advantage of the local climate conditions with natural ventilation, open-air learning spaces, and a bamboo shading screen on the southern facade. A north-south oriented wing contains science and technology spaces which are conditioned by highly efficient mechanical systems and shaded by deep horizontal and vertical fins. Filtered outdoor air is supplied to all classrooms through energy recovery ventilators, improving indoor air quality and boosting learning capacity. On-site photovoltaics provides a portion of the school’s energy needs, and low-energy lighting and low flow fixtures reduce operating costs. The design prioritizes use of daylight, which further reduces demand for energy and provides learning benefits to the students.

A significant portion of the new five-story school building is dedicated to flexible gathering spaces designed to encourage strong long-term social networks and collaborative learning among students. Much of the ground level is open to provide a covered gathering space with a visual connection to a large courtyard garden, and to lessen the school’s vulnerability to flooding. The rooftop includes a multipurpose sports court and a teaching garden with local plants and vegetables to minimize solar heat gain, reduce storm water runoff, and provide an outdoor learning environment.

COOKFOX Architects: Pam Campbell / Ciaran Conlon / Rick Cook / Antariksh Tandon / Tyler Caine / Mark Canfield / Julie Fisher / Marguerite Lefevre / Tarlton Long / Giacomo Vischi

Client: Cambodian Children’s Fund