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Architects: Nhavui XS Studio
- Area: 131 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Tomqast
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Manufacturers: Dong Tam, SolarBK, Toto
Hero house - The house of the brave - The story begins with a non-governmental organization gathering scientists, volunteers, and nature-loving families. The Organization aims to preserve and educate children and the local community about maritime turtles when they come and lay eggs in Bai Thit, Nui Chua National Park, NinhThuan province, Vietnam.
This pristine beach locates in the center of the strictly protected zone of the National Park which is also known by the folk name "Bai Thit" (i.e. Meat beach) because turtles were captured by local people for their meat many years ago. Today, Bai Thit is a restricted area. This beach is the only place on the mainland of Vietnam where turtles come to spawn every summer. Difficulties are the protection of breeding turtles. Rescue and relocation of eggs must always be done at night after the mother tortoise come to lay eggs. To respond timely, volunteers, park rangers, and scientists in groups of 10 people have to work in very tough conditions such as sleeping in tents, and lack of fresh water and other facilities.
Facing that situation, the volunteers and organizations have donated to volunteers, park rangers, and scientists a small station to rest and to work on saving the turtle’s life. The donation includes the lovely contributions made by children by selling their paintings about the earth and the environment.
Construction is extremely difficult because there is no electricity, no fresh water, and no connecting roads. In addition, there is a strict protection requirement on the ecological environment of the area including forests, topography, and coastal reefs. Materials that are resistant to salinity intrusion, high stability, and maintenance-free are applied to reduce operating costs. Architects and managers of the national park have to go to the surrounding village looking for local workers and persuade them to collaborate. Transportation is a dangerous task when happening in the stormy days
The creativity and teamwork of the local craftsmen have helped the architect to select the right materials and to deal with indigenous technical improvisation. For instance, the building materials are redundant granite, originating from the mine 30km away at an affordable price, the roof is created from bamboo and plastic as the traditional technique of making baskets of local fishermen, specifically wooden and bamboo rafts are soaked in seawater to avoid termites. Moreover, timber structures are firmly anchored to stand up against the strong storm.
The house is called the "Hero house" in order to recognize the great contribution made by donors, scientists, workers, and local people. Instead of killing a turtle, nowadays, local people are knowing how to protect turtles as well as the environment of their homeland. The project is the symbol praising the hardships of local workers who have received little money but contributed a lot of time and effort to such a great project; and millions of brave mother tortoises who have come back to lay eggs on their birthplace for thousand years.
From now on, the "heroes" will be protected by the heroes from the Hero house.
