'New Khmer Architecture' emerged from Cambodia's fifteen years of prosperity following the end of French rule in 1953. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

The movement's influence was short-lived: few of its architects survived the Khmer Rouge. However, Vann Molyvann, the leader and most prolific member of the group remains at 80 an enterprising and increasingly respected figure. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

Vann's 1964 National Sports Center, constructed before Kenzo Tange's Olympic Stadium in Tokyo is a statement of civic pride. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

Cambodia's rejection by the pro-Western International Olympic Committee prompted King Norod Sihanouk to join GANEFO (Games of the Nonaligned and Emerging Forces), a new sporting event created by China, Russia and others. Cambodia's turn to host the games came in 1966. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

The Sports Centre's large ornamental pools directly imitate the barays, or reservoirs surrounding Angkorian temples, while the elevated walkways at both his Cham Car Mon palace and the School of Foreign Languages pay homage to Angkor Wat's kilometer long causeway. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

Vann's signature suspended 'zigzag' roof lines created artificial space to enable air to flow he describes as 'a reworking of the concave shape of the temple roofs'. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

The other major influence was Le Corbusier and his complex theories of communal living. Vann's use of the Frenchman's 'modular' as a tool for establishing proportions is best emulated in the 'White' and 'Grey' buildings of the Front du Bassac... (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

Rarely consulted on the fate of his buildings, Vann has been forced to watch from the sidelines while his work gets ripped out or ineptly renovated...Taiwanese Yuanta group's cosmetic makeover of the National Sports Centre in 2000 robbed this voluminous site of a good deal of its land to make way for commercial development. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

The latest building to attract scrutiny is a theatre commissioned by Sihanouk in 1966 to promote Cambodia's resplendent performing arts. A masterpiece of concrete plasticity with staircases suspended over shallow pools of water... (Courtesy Vann Molyvann's private collection)

...the Preah Suramarit was gutted by fire in 1994 devastating the entire auditorium and stage area and has remained in its ruined state for over a decade. (Tim Winter)

Given the minimal architectural merit, much less public interest to be found in the latest rash of government offices, casino and private villas, this is especially depressing. (Courtesy of Susan Schulman)

Lire l'article de Robert Turnbull http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/27/arts/cambarch.php