This research aims to explore the inspiration of public building on private houses located in Boeung Keng Kang, a sub-district that was considered as one of the best locations for living in Phnom Penh. Having said that, this study uses aspects of urban development, architectural modernization and social modernization of the post-independence period as lenses to look at twenty houses located in Boeung Keng Kang neighborhood in Phnom Penh. These houses are qualitatively analyzed based on six aspects: roof design, decorative features, materials, climatic adaptation features, spatial arrangement, and structural design. The study interprets these houses as borrowing modern aesthetic from public architecture, and reflecting ways of living during the post-independence period.
