Damnak Soriya — Raised Living That Catches Mountain Breezes in Kampot
Damnak Soriya sets a raised, light-washed profile against the foothills of Kampot, Cambodia. Designed by Re : Edge Architecture as a three-bedroom house within the Amaya enclave, it draws on Khmer vernacular and the mountain setting to shape daily life. The two-story platform frame makes room for breezes, shaded outdoor rooms, and long views, folding vacation ease into a plan built for climate and community.
Morning light lifts across a stilted profile, tracing the undersides of a broad platform and the rim of an elevated pool. From the approach, the house reads porous and calm, set to the cadence of mountain winds and shifting shade.
This is a three-bedroom, two-story platform house in Kampot by Re : Edge Architecture, designed in 2023 as part of the Amaya holiday community. It borrows from Khmer raised structures and local courtyards to handle heat, rain, and sociable outdoor living. The throughline is contextual—every move steadies the house within its climate, its views, and a culture of open-air life.
Lifted To Breathe
The house stands on a platform, allowing air to sweep under the floor and cool the rooms above. Slatted openings and generous cross-ventilation move that breeze through living areas, bedrooms, and even bathrooms. Raised living also answers seasonal weather, keeping the primary level clear of splash and ground heat while setting daily life at tree height for views of the Domrey slopes.
Porous Day Rooms
A large living room opens to an outdoor kitchen and dining area, so cooking and conversation spill into the open air. Sunlight is welcomed but filtered, with overhangs and screened edges softening glare across the main rooms. The result is easygoing circulation between inside and out, the kind that makes a holiday rhythm feel natural and unforced.
Courtyard As Anchor
At the heart of the plan, a courtyard keeps the house grounded. It provides a shaded pocket during the day and a cooler microclimate that feeds the cross-breezes threading the platform. This center of gravity also supports the social side of life—kids move through, meals pause here, and night air gathers after heat leaves the walls.
Water And Outlook
An elevated pool edges the living level, drawn close enough to read as part of the daily sequence rather than a separate amenity. It reflects sky, tosses moving light across ceilings, and offers a quick dip without leaving the social core. Beyond the rail, long mountain views set the mood, reminding every routine—breakfast, a swim, a nap—that the landscape leads.
Vernacular, Updated
The project distills regional cues—stilted structure, open thresholds, shaded edges—into a contemporary holiday home. Three generous bedrooms sit within this framework, each oriented for airflow and privacy while staying connected to the larger volumes. Material choices and the platform diagram do the heavy lifting, carrying culture and climate into a plan suited to present-day routines (and extended stays).
Evening gathers and the platform glows, lifted just enough to catch the last breeze. Mountain air drifts through the rooms as crickets take the night shift, and the courtyard cools. The house meets its setting with quiet purpose and lets the setting do the rest.
Photography courtesy of Re : Edge Architecture
Visit Re : Edge Architecture
