Urban Green & Water-Management Specialist Spotlight: Chris Kooijman

Building Water-Smart Cities: An Exclusive Interview with Chris Kooijman Urban Green & Water-Management Specialist | Eco Outdoor Asia

As Phnom Penh continues its rapid urban transformation, the definition of quality construction is evolving. Beyond scale and speed, the focus has shifted toward resilience, environmental intelligence, and long-term performance. Water, once addressed primarily through engineering constraints is now a defining element of future-ready cities.

At Mekarcube Construction, we see this moment as both a responsibility and an opportunity: to rethink how buildings, landscapes, and infrastructure can work together to support sustainable, water-smart urban growth. For this edition of Feature Interview Week, we speak with Chris Koojiman, an Urban Green & Water-Management Specialist from Eco Outdoor Asia, whose work bridges landscape design, water-sensitive urban systems, and climate-responsive city-making.

About the Featured Practice: Eco Outdoor Malaysia

Eco Outdoor Asia is internationally recognised for its leadership in sustainable urban design materials, with a strong focus on permeable paving systems, water-sensitive urban design (WSUD), and integrated landscape infrastructure. Its work spans civic, commercial, and mixed-use developments, delivering solutions that balance architectural intent with environmental performance.

This philosophy closely aligns with Mekarcube’s approach transforming sustainable design ambitions into technically rigorous, buildable, and future-ready construction outcomes.

Rethinking Water in the Urban Landscape

Mekarcube: "Cities across Southeast Asia are facing increasing pressure from flooding, water scarcity, and rising urban heat. Why must water management now be central to urban planning?"

Chris Koojiman: "Historically, water was engineered out of cities as quickly as possible. Today, that approach is no longer viable. Dense urbanisation, climate variability, and the loss of natural floodplains mean cities must slow water down, absorb it, filter it, and reuse it. When water is treated as an asset rather than a threat, it contributes to urban cooling, biodiversity, and long-term resilience. Global urban development research consistently shows that integrated flood risk management and nature-based solutions are essential for resilient cities, particularly in rapidly developing regions."

Phnom Penh: Growth, Water, and Urban Responsibility

Phnom Penh’s urban fabric is shaped by the Mekong and Tonlé Sap river systems, seasonal monsoon cycles, and accelerating development. As the city densifies, several challenges are becoming increasingly pronounced:

• Reduced natural water retention due to land reclamation and hardscaping

• Increased surface runoff from non-permeable materials

• Drainage infrastructure under pressure from urban expansion

  
  

International urban resilience frameworks highlight that cities at this stage of growth must integrate water-sensitive strategies early to mitigate long-term flood risk, infrastructure strain, and environmental degradation.

Designing for the 2026 Construction Landscape and Beyond

Mekarcube: "How do you see construction standards evolving over the next few years?"

Chris Koojiman: "We are moving toward performance-based expectations. Projects will increasingly be assessed on outcomes such as runoff reduction, water quality improvement, urban cooling, and lifecycle efficiency rather than purely prescriptive compliance. Permeable surfaces, bio-retention systems, and integrated landscape infrastructure will become baseline requirements rather than optional features.

This shift reflects a broader global movement toward climate-resilient infrastructure and long-term asset performance."

The Synergy: Eco Outdoor Asia × Mekarcube Construction

The success of water-sensitive urban design depends not only on concept, but on execution.

• Eco Outdoor Asia contributes deep expertise in sustainable materials, permeable systems, and landscape-led water management strategies proven across diverse urban contexts.

• Mekarcube Construction translates these strategies into buildable, regulation-ready solutions, grounded in local site conditions, construction sequencing, and lifecycle performance.

Together, this collaboration enables developers to:

• Reduce long-term flood risk and infrastructure maintenance costs

• Strengthen ESG and sustainability performance

• Future-proof assets against climate and regulatory change

From Vision to Delivery

Mekarcube: "Sustainability is widely supported in principle, yet often challenged during implementation. What enables successful delivery?"

Chris Koojiman: "Early integration and collaboration are critical. Water-sensitive systems must be embedded at the planning stage, not retrofitted later. When designers, material specialists, and contractors share a clear understanding of the objectives, execution quality improves significantly."

Mekarcube’s Perspective

At Mekarcube, water-smart construction is central to how we future-proof developments. Our approach prioritises:

• Early coordination across architecture, landscape, and civil engineering disciplines

• Material selection based on durability, permeability, and lifecycle value

• Close collaboration with specialist partners to ensure design intent is realised on site

  
  

By aligning with forward-thinking collaborators such as Eco Outdoor Asia and industry specialists like Chris Koojiman, Mekarcube continues to shape a construction framework that supports resilient, adaptable, and high-performing urban environments.

As Phnom Penh and other emerging Southeast Asian cities continue to evolve, the question is no longer whether water-sensitive urban design is necessary but how effectively it is delivered. Through research-informed strategy, collaborative partnerships, and construction excellence, Mekarcube Construction remains committed to delivering developments that perform today and endure well beyond 2026.

Chris Kooijman's Insights

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