THE BUILDING

CAMBODIA, Phnom Penh: “The Building" officially known as the Tonle Basaac Apartments or White Building, was a Phnom Penh icon known infamously for prostitution, drugs and child trafficking in modern Cambodia.

“The Building” was originally designed and constructed in the early nineteen sixties as alternative apartment housing for employees of the state.

With the advent of war and a liquidated populace, the modern apartment complex quickly fell into disrepair and began to erode over decades. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, “The Building” was occupied by artists from all disciplines mainly for its proximity to the National Theater. 

Until it’s recent demolition, this apartment complex was viewed as Phnom Penh's pre-eminent slum: however; a journey into "The Building" reveals much, much more, comprising a unique and strangely beguiling microcosm of Khmer society.