In addition to the pre-Angkorian and Angkorian gigantic works and temples that were built on the size of an empire, more modest buildings have also been part of the in the country’s scenery over the centuries.

Among them are the traditional wooden houses; as recently as the 1970s, they could be seen throughout Cambodia and, today, some of them remain standing in parts of the country.

In Phnom Penh, there have been the shophouses. As architect and researcher Carlo Santoro wrote in an article published on March 11 in the The Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, “[t]he Chinese merchant shophouse, introduced in the 19th century, played a pivotal role in shaping Phnom Penh’s urban fabric, blending Chinese, Khmer, and later French influences.”

As he explained, these modest structures evolved and adapted as the city grew and the country went through changes, whether political or economic. “Its adaptability to technological, economic, and social changes underscores its continued relevance in shaping Phnom Penh’s urban landscape,” Santoro writes.

Santoro, who is an Italian architect, was based in Cambodia from 2017 through 2024.

A professor of art, architecture and urban design, he taught at the American University in Phnom Penh. He had also taught at the North South University in Dhaka in Bangladesh in the mid-2010s. And while in China from 2003 to 2013, he was a researcher and architectural designer at the Zhongke Architectural Design & Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and a fellow researcher in cultural heritage preservation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

A member of the International Association on Psychology of Art in Italy, he was involved in numerous art projects in Cambodia over the years. He is now based in Manilla in the Philippines.

As he mentions in the journal’s article, the research for this study on shophouses was conducted during the 7 years he spent in Cambodia.

Santoro’s article was published in the journal’s special issue “Transcultural Dialogues in Architecture and Urbanism: Intersections Between Chinese Architecture and Global Influences.” Founded in 2016, the journal has offices in China, Malaysia and Singapore.