THE EXOTIC BRUTALISM OF BINH THANH HOUSE IN VIETNAM / VO TRONG NGHIA ARCHITECTS & SANUKI + NISHIZAWA ARCHITECTS

 

Located in the center of Ho Chi Minh city, the house was designed for two families; a couple in their sixties and their son’s couple with a child. The plot has a bilateral character. It is in a typical developing and urbanizing area, facing to a noisy and dusty street. But it is also very close to the river and the Saigon Zoo with a plenty of greenery.

 

Against a backdrop of this duality, the concept of the house is to accommodate two different lifestyles in a tropical climate; one is a natural and traditional lifestyle, utilizing natural lighting and ventilation, and the other is a modern and well-tempered lifestyle with mechanical equipments such as air-conditioners.

 

The house is composed of two different spaces positioned alternately. Spaces for modern lifestyle are allocated in three floating volumes wrapped by concrete pattern blocks. Between volumes are two in-between spaces covered by glasses and widely open to the exterior, where the residents enjoy their natural life with wind, sunlight, green and water.