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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Lantern House in Minh City, Vietnam by atelier NgNgOctober 5th, 2018 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: atelier NgNg When asked by a young couple with two small children to design a house for them in a highly dense neighborhood of Vietnam, we are faced with many challenges (a West-facing long and narrow building lot with three sides blocked by other houses) which simultaneously pose fascinating opportunities for economical and innovative design solutions. The attempt is to create refreshing and playful living spaces for the owners- a young couple and their two children as well as interesting photography opportunities for their business.  Image Courtesy © Han Deo
 Image Courtesy © Han Deo For this project, we chose to learn from the diminishing traditional shop-house of Vietnam while applying contemporary technology and materials. Employing one of the most prominent characteristics of the traditional shop-house typology – the courtyard allows for better natural ventilation and light to penetrate every corner of the building. This enables big plants to grow inside the house, which ultimately bring nature inside the small urban dwelling. The courtyard in the middle of the house also acts as a connecting device, both visually and physically, where the majority of circulation and communication happen. Solid walls are used minimally, substituted by glass (more transparency and light); floor plates on the two sides of the courtyard are shifted. These moves are used strategically to enhance the idea of connection and flow, where the sculptural stair activates the whole space. We chose iron and glass to create a light and modern look for this space.  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo Bright colors, often time seen in Vietnamese traditional decorative arts and architecture are used for the glass windows facing the courtyard as well as the glass beams at the roof above this light well. These accent colors liven up the space with dynamic reflections/ shadows and creates a sense of playfulness, especially for the two ‘young adults’ in the house.  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo To solve the problem of the West-facing façade, we use a series of automatic door-sized louvers, which can become a porous screen to protect the house from severe tropical sun in the afternoon while leaving decorative shadows inside the house. The pattern references the playful figures with mortar and pestle in Vietnam’s ancient Dong Son drums. The louvers are both functional and ornamental. At night, the house with the louvers closed become a lantern within the neighborhood.  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo Fengshui principles are also applied in the spatial organization of the house, with the screen acting as a shield and air/ light purifier, the colored beams to balance out the neutral colors of glass and iron, and the water pond to the back of the roof to not only cool down the space but also neutralize the air flow.  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © Han Deo  Image Courtesy © atelier NgNg  Image Courtesy © atelier NgNg  Image Courtesy © atelier NgNg  Image Courtesy © atelier NgNg  Image Courtesy © atelier NgNg  Image Courtesy © atelier NgNg
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Categories: Apartments, House, Residential |
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