The 400m² house designed by HGAA Architects, a Vietnamese practice led by Nguyen Van Thu is located in Mao Khe, a rapidly developing area featuring several urban and economic projects in the Quang Ninh province of Vietnam. This area is also a mining centre of mineral coal in Quang Ninh province. In the past, this area had low environmental quality due to mining operations, and recently the quality of the air and urban living has been much improved.
“When approaching this project, we pay much attention to creating a house with a fresh atmosphere and close to nature. The owner of the house is an elderly couple that is accustomed to a simple, quiet life, except on weekends, when their grandchildren visit. Everything is focused around the garden, fishpond, and the architectural space,” says Nguyen.
The house has a main floor and a small space above for reading and worship. From outside to inside, through the red brick wall is a layer of green trees covering the house. There are many layers of vegetation such as shade trees, shrubs, and creepers that hang down from the roof, forming a cover, preventing dust, and urban noise. The main spaces are arranged around an inner courtyard in the middle of the house, creating a peaceful, quiet radial space, separate from the outside city.
The spaces inside the house are surrounded by nature, oriented towards nature and facing each other, forming an introverted space, helping to connect people with nature, with people, and with themselves. From every position in the house, people can see each other, as well as trees, water, aquariums. From there, it is possible to feel nature in the form of air, sound, and light.
The main materials in the house are red bricks and bare concrete, creating a rustic, close, human feeling. Materials are also an important element to create architectural space, enhance its beauty along with nature, as well as create emotions with people. “Through this project, we wanted to use simple methods and common local materials to create an emotional living space that is close to people and nature,” says Nguyen.
Project details
Area: 400m²
Lead architect: Nguyen Van Thu
Design team: Tran Mai Phuong, Vu An Tuan Minh, Nham Huy Hieu
Manufacturers: American Standard, Bạch Mã, Conwood, Kim Son, Xingfa
City: Mạo Khê, Vietnam
See the full image gallery here:
Photos: Duc Nguyen
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