Like in many other cities around the world, most of the current condominium tower developments in Phnom Penh remain rather generic in design, lacking the charm of local characters. How do we bring back specificity in new housing developments in Phnom Penh? How do we establish a new paradigm that reflects the authentic local identity and the aspirations of a young population? Specificity comes from both the physicality of architecture and its social and cultural contexts. We learn from building strategies responding to the tropical climate in the Tropical Modernism movement, and Cambodia’s own Vann Molyvann, who developed a fusion of modernist design principles and local traditions in his design, delivering a magical play of geometry and light. We also learn from historic monuments and traditional dwellings, as well as the types of informal urbanism in downtown Phnom Penh. With both tangible and intangible elements of specificity in mind, we critically rethink the current housing developments in Phnom Penh and explore alternative paradigms towards a new type of vernacular architecture.