Native Source provided unrestricted donations towards the building of a "green" visitor's center and bio-fuel project at the Angkor Hospital for Children in conjunction with our partners at Cook + Fox and Sterling Stamos.

From the website:

http://www.cookplusfox.com/

Center for Friends Without A Border

Angkor Hospital For Children
Siem Reap, Cambodia
for Sterling Stamos Capital Managment


"The Angkor Hospital for Children was founded by Japanese photographer Kenro Izu who, moved by the children he met through his work, wanted to give back to the country that had inspired him. In addition to giving patients high quality, free medical services, the hospital is committed to increasing Cambodian self-sufficiency and trains hundreds of Khmer health care professionals every year.

With over a million foreign tourists a year visiting the great temples at Angkor Wat, interest in the hospital had steadily increased, so that the AHC was struggling to balance outreach with effective care and patient privacy. The Center for Friends Without a Border will be a place to educate travelers about the hospital’s work, promote its holistic mission, and invite others to reach out and give their support.

To emphasize transparency and connection to the hospital the building is enclosed in glass, shaded from the sun by bamboo louvers, deep overhangs, and a double roof. The form, a simple square structure on an elevated plane, refers to techniques used in traditional raised Khmer homes. Each of nine bays in a square floor plan defines a different programmatic function, including a small theater, private meeting room, and gift shop. In the spirit of Izu’s original intent, the building will include gallery space for art, the universal language that can capture and transmit the AHC’s core message of compassion.

Functionally and symbolically, water lies at the heart of the building. An inverted roof will channel rainwater through a central open-air atrium into an underground cistern, where it will be used to flush toilets and water landscaping. By making water the central element, the design honors the monumental earthworks of the Angkor period, which captured and controlled water through ingenious feats of engineering.

In response to the climate’s abundant sun, the roof is designed to accommodate a future installation of photovoltaic panels. In the meantime, 100% of the building’s energy needs will be supplied with clean, renewable biodiesel through a partnership with a local entrepreneur, a strategy that revisits the inherent advantages of local, distributed power generation. Reinforcing the AHC’s values of self-sufficiency and local knowledge, it is hoped that the project’s impacts will ripple outward to advance concepts of modern, sustainable development."