Battambang Heritage Preservation Initiative Online

The inner city of Battambang is dominated by the so called shophouse, a widely spread type of building in southeast Asian cities. Chinese immigrants introduced the shophouse to Battambang in the early 20th century. The name refers to the use - while the upper floor serves for dwelling purposes only, the ground floor provides facilities for business premises. The common Battambang shophouse is a non-detached house with a plot size of five (width) by 20 (length) meters. These buildings are usually two storeys high, built in continuous blocks and therefore share a party wall. Besides the typical shophouse is characterized by a clay-tiled pitched roof, a front and rear a building separated by a court or an airwell, five-foot ways, as well as timber windows and staircases. Facades show a huge variety of different styles and decorations. While french period shophouses facades are representative and rich in decorative plaster ornaments, later built shophouses of the Sangkum period in Art Déco style are simpler. Usually a wide door front facing the street gives access to the building. The five-foot way covers pedestrians from heavy moonsun rain and provided shade from the scorching heat of the midday sun. Additionally a back lane gives entrance to the rear part of the building and serves for fire protection purposes.

THE SHOPHOUSE