Project Size: 3,875 square feet

Program: A couple with two children asked for a house in a residential neighborhood in northeast Vietnam that would be made of local, natural materials such as stone and wood. In particular, they wanted it to be different from the bland plaster-and-concrete buildings in the area.

Solution:The spiraling, two-story ring-shaped house, made of four-inch-thick local dark blue stones, circles around an open, oval-shaped courtyard and is covered with a grass roof. The architect, wanting the house to be as energy efficient as possible without requiring much maintenance from the client, designed a built-in irrigation system with automatic watering on the roof and installed a shallow pool in the courtyard for passive cooling.

Living areas, arranged sequentially, circle the courtyard, with a south entry opening to double-height living and dining areas. Bedrooms, three on the first floor and two on the second, are stacked on the north side. A thick stone wall around the exterior provides privacy and helps separate the house from its run-of-the-mill neighbors.

Architect:
Vo Trong Nghia Architects
85 Bis Phan Ke Binh, DaKao, District 1, HCM City, Vietnam
Tel: +84-8-3 8297763
Fax: +84-8-3 9110103