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Architects: Cong Sinh Architects
- Area: 82 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Hiroyuki Oki
Text description provided by the architects. The house is located on a bustling commercial street in Hue City. This is a tube house, a very popular type of house in Vietnam. The house was built for three members of a family, including an elderly couple and their daughter. The house was built with the purpose of protecting people’s lives by connecting three important relationships:
The relationship among people - The architecture of the house tries to bring generations together in the most natural way. The bedroom of the elderly couple is placed at the back of the ground floor with privacy and ease of access for them. Right next to it is the kitchen-dining room, the new focus of the house. This is also the place where the elderly couple welcomes some regular guests. This area is in the middle of the house, below a skylight, and is always filled with natural light. This space allows the elderly couple to see and hear the daily activities of everyone in the house or the visits of friends. This way, they no longer feel lonely.
The daughter's private spaces from the first floor and above include her own living room, a study, and a toilet; the daughter's bedroom is located right above the parents' bedroom at a distance of 2.2 meters from the ground floor. Therefore, every night, the daughter can hear and immediately identify the abnormal breathing from her parents so that she can attend to them promptly. This is an incredibly precious thing to her. These spaces help the daughter nurture her soul and fulfill the dreams and ambitions of her life.
The relationship between people and nature - Although it is a long and narrow tube house located on a noisy and busy commercial street, the house still brings people as close to nature as possible. Based on the location of the house with the back facing Southeast, which is the direction of the cool wind, the building opens up the back facade to get the maximum amount of this wind into the house. The living spaces are designed to be completely open and interconnected, so these cool breezes can reach all parts of the house.
The concrete louver system in the entire facade enables the building to receive light that is good for people’s health in the morning, blocks all harmful solar radiation in the afternoon, and avoids getting wet by the rain. In addition, the stone walls and the thick roof have good thermal insulation. These elements create a cool microclimate for the house. Although the summer in Hue is scorching, the family rarely uses air conditioning equipment. There are three skylights arranged along the length of the house to help create living spaces that are always full of natural light and well-ventilated.
The relationship between people and the house - The house is like a solid cave, giving the people living in it a sense of security and a quiet living space. The quiet spaces with a cool microclimate help people to unwind and have a full night's sleep. Such a living environment full of natural light and cool breeze helps people lead healthy lives. This is also a place where people can shelter from the pandemic. The material used for the house is Hue’s black stone, a local type of stone that is gradually being forgotten due to the prevalence of imported stones with various colors. This material creates a feeling of familiarity and closeness. It can be touched without the fear of getting damaged or smudged. The building is like a shirt that is specifically tailored for the family. The dimensions and space in the building are just right to suit the height and needs of the members.
Some of the plants and vegetables grown in the house are edible, and some fish are raised in bowls placed on the concrete louver system in the back facade. This makes the house greener and cooler. Looking after the plants and fish makes people’s lives more fascinating. Day by day, the people and the house take care of each other, become closer, and from there, the love for one another grows. The house helps to harmoniously blend the three relationships of people to people, people to nature, and people to the house, which creates a happy and fulfilling life. Through the construction of this house, the architect hopes that this inspirational perspective of cohesive design can spread the notion of a happy life everywhere, no matter how large or small a house can be.
