NIRONSTUDIO.
'I treat every project as a newborn that requires special attention and care of individual research, study, problem discovery, conceptual ideas, and solutions. These principles are essential steps for the designs worth our clients' time, investment and trust. '
A Bit About the Founder
Leakhena Setha, Founder, Architect BAC
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Leakhena is a registered architect under the Board of Architects Cambodia (BAC). She has been practicing architecture since 2010 after graduating from the Moscow Institute of Architecture. For the past 12 years, she has been a part of multidisciplinary international and local enterprises, and studios (OCIC, Archetype Group, T3 Architects, HKA, MAD Creative) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
She is very passionate about creating sustainable architecture that has a positive impact on society and the community at any scale. She is detail-oriented and pushes for the best result possible in a project. She values respect in the workplace and appreciates every team member of all skills, the quality she believes to be the key to growth and success.
Background
Leakhena moved to Moscow in 1994 when she entered a local Russian school, centre of the capital for 5 academic years. Initially, Leakhena was aiming for MBA while taking classes in Business Studies at a local business school after hours in Phnom Penh. After 5-year gap back in Phnom Penh she returned to Moscow to enroll in a prestigious architecture school in Russia.
Private practice
Following the dive into sustainable architecture years prior, Leakhena decided to create a workplace where she can create concepts in designs and developments of impactful architecture. Hence, Niron Studio was born.
Niron comes from a Khmer word 'និរន្តភាព" meaning 'sustainability' which is the core of Leakhena's design principle. In the first order of events, a test project Niron House was brought to light that introduces modular systems in wooden architecture. Leakhena aimed to introduce a new solution and implementation of Khmer traditional joineries into more sufficient building systems. A prototype built in 2021 has proved that the design is plausible within the local capacity. Research and study to improve are ongoing. Learn more about the Niron House project.
Inspirations
Leakhena is never short of a learning drive when she applied for a field programme that was initiated by Tadao Ando called, the Ando Program in Osaka, Japan in 2019. She had the delight to meet with the master and learned a very memorable phrase: "Design buildings and spaces that inspire". Hence, the opening of the homepage.
Check out Leakhena's sample works throughout the years in different architectural firms in the Architect's Portfolio.