“Friends ask me why I don’t do just one thing?” Kang Hok says with a laugh. He lists the diversity of Urbanland Asia’s portfolio. Since he founded the real estate developer in 2013, it has delivered nine major projects that span property, retail, office towers, an industrial park and a hotel.

“It’s a very valid question, but I want to learn everything about real estate. It’s a very diverse set of products. Commercial, residential, industrial, and hospitality. But it’s about thinking flexibly, so that we’re adaptable and when we go into a new project, it’s hard but we can do it.”

He nodded to K Mall, which opened in 2021 as a “Covid baby”. “This was a new project and new area for Urbanland. It was hard and we had to figure out how to compete. Only when you’re agile and flexible can you do this. K Mall is now a well-known brand and has become the heart beat of Veng Sreng.”

Designing a Local Brand to Take on International Players

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Kang Hok, Co-founder and CEO of Urbanland. Kiripost/Siv Channa

The Quality of Space

While Hok’s portfolio takes in a diversity of sectors, his passion lies in designing homes. “I believe that one good design can change the way people live. One happy home is one happy family. I tell my team that the quality of our life makes us do things.”

He noted that the first quality is people-to-people relationships. The second, which he said most people fail to consider, is the quality of space. “As human beings, we have a roof and space. If you have a happy family but when you go home your house is messy, dark, stuffy, and noisy, you don’t feel fresh,” Hok remarked.

“If you have a house with proper space to work in, a living room designed well that is close to nature, a master bedroom that lets in natural light, it feels like you live in a nice space, and that helps relationships.”

Ahead of Urbanland starting its Borey Chankiri development - Hok’s pride and joy - it conducted 10 months of research with 300 participants to understand their definition of a dream home. The total research process took 2 years.

“A lot of people think the outside look of a house is everything, but you live inside the space, you don’t live outside. So, you have to start from the inside and ask what do people need in their home?”

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The project launched in January 2020 - another “Covid baby” - during “one of the toughest times”. However, despite a three-month halt in construction due to the pandemic, people still needed homes to live in, and Borey Chankiri has turned into a success story.

It is currently 95 percent complete, with hand-overs starting and 85 percent - equivalent to 384 homes - already sold. “This is a good testimonial that your design is following the right direction. We are design- and human-focused,” he said.

Venturing into Hospitality and Surviving Covid

In November 2018, leafy Treeline Urban Resort opened its doors on Siem Reap riverside, marking Hok’s first foray into the world of hospitality.

“If I want to do a hospitality brand, it has to be born in Siem Reap,” he said. “Siem Reap is a world tourist destination and the city is very special with ancient temples and nature.”

In a city saturated with accommodation, designing a product that stood out and was able to compete with other major players was key for Hok. Essential elements were respecting the temples of Angkor while embracing modern designs, making it sustainable with a zero-plastic concept, and championing local art.

“I believe art can open the imagination and help the culture of a country,” he said, adding the hotel is home to an exhibition space that features the work of various local artists throughout the year.

Then Covid-19 struck, hammering the tourism-centric town’s businesses and livelihoods. This came coupled with 18 months of road renovations that saw the city center torn up, further hampering business from domestic tourists.

“It was challenging because Covid changed everything in Siem Reap,” Hok said, adding that today the tourist industry has failed to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. “Before Covid people's faces were happy but when you go there now, they’re sad.”

During Covid, Treeline was able to keep all of its staff employed, albeit for one third of the time. “We worked extra hard and had to plan well while making sure we took care of the staff. It took a lot of courage to plan and work harder during this time, but if you go through tough times and manage to do well, it means the company is strong.”

Urbanland: Inspirational spaces for people to live, work, and play. Kiripost via Urbanland

Promoting Siem Reap’s Offerings

Hok said Siem Reap is a tourist destination that runs on high and low seasons - an element he wants to see the new Government actively work to change.

“Siem Reap shouldn't be a low and high season destination. During the high season, we employ more people, then in low season we have to say, ‘Sorry, we don't need you all’. It’s hard for business and the people.”

Despite offering special rates for locals and expats, Treeline continues to struggle to fill rooms outside of major festivals, such as Khmer New Year, and especially during weekdays.

“It’s a tough time but I hope Siem Reap doesn’t lose hope, and I hope the new Government has new thinking, new motivation. We want to push tourism, and hotels are only one small part. The Government has to put in effort to showcase Siem Reap to the entire world.”

Hok recommended diversifying offerings to push local food, culture, art and design, and nightlife. “So, when people come, the temples are there but there are other activities. You can make Siem Reap into a food and art destination,” he said, referencing how Thailand has positioned its cuisine well on the international stage.

“People travel for food. If we can champion that with some Government help that would be great, but it needs to be a collective effort to change the industry.”

Siem Reap's Pub Street. Kiripost/Prak Chan Thul

Modern Khmer Architecture

Hok is modest in his accomplishments. “I don’t think I've changed architecture perceptions in Cambodia; that goes to Vann Moyvann. He was a great visionary and inspiration for us all and created a lot of nicely designed buildings that were a great fusion of Western and Cambodian thinking.”

Molyvann, who died in France in June at the age of 90, is credited with helping modernize Cambodia in the 1950s and 60s in a movement that became known as New Khmer Architecture.

His works include the iconic White Building, Cambodiana Hotel, Toul Svay Prey High School, which became the S-21 detention center during the Khmer Rouge and is now Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, and Independence Monument Park.

“He’s done a great job for us. If it wasn’t for the Khmer Rouge, he could have created many more great architecture for us but we lost that. Now people like me, as the younger generation, are trying to do something but haven’t reached anywhere close to that level.”

One change Hok has noticed in recent years is a growing appreciation for good design among the younger generation. He said this goes hand-in-hand with the rise in social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok.

“There’s a higher appreciation when it comes to good design. I want to see more of that happening, but we can only see that when people are exposed to good spaces in general,” he remarked.

“The next generation needs to think about people and context. When you design something, you design for that person. You have to understand the soft side, the people, and start from there,” the father-of-two said.

The second consideration when designing is location. Cambodia is home to a tropical monsoon climate, with six months of rain and six dry months, with wind coming from the south-west during monsoon and the north-east during dry season.

“You need to know the pathway of the wind, know the weather, know the context of Phnom Penh or wherever, and then design something that fits Cambodia. You want something that escapes the sun, that’s designed so the wind flows through the house. Look at these elements and the style comes later.”

Designing a Liveable Capital City

Hok is a huge champion of public urban spaces. “Urban spaces can make a city more liveable,” he said, noting that Phnom Penh’s parks tend to lack trees and shade.

“It’s good to have lots of shaded parks nearby. This can change the way we use public spaces and help increase our standard of living.”

They can also help to counteract the mounting traffic in the capital, which Hok points out is way off hitting the levels of congestion seen in Jakarta or Manila. “Asian cities grow very fast compared to Western cities that grow over 200 to 300 years.”

He pointed to Singapore as a good model of efficient planning, but noted that it is small. “Traffic issues need long-term solutions. They need public transport, but many networks of cars, trains, and buses to commute from one place to another easily. That takes a long time, you need patience to solve the issue.”

Hok noted that currently Phnom Penh is a relatively small city with a population of two million. Bangkok, in comparison, is home to 12 million people. “That’s the beauty of Phnom Penh, you can go anywhere within one hour. But when a city grows, state planning needs to consider these new spaces.”

Hok said as the capital expands, he would love to see more space converted into parks and designated public spaces in all areas of the city.

“Allocate certain parts of new developments as parks,” he urged. “Parks are where the young and old, rich and not so rich come and spend time together. It’s a social space. If we can do that right, it will help the city.”

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