Blog : Ninh Thuan

QAH: A Gable Front Townhouse Strikes a Balance between Work and Life
kangsadank

QAH: A Gable Front Townhouse Strikes a Balance between Work and Life

/ Ninh Thuan, Vietnam /

/ Story: Kangsadan K. / English version: Bob Pitawkong /

/ Photographs: Paul Phan /

A gable front townhouse with a high-pitched roof stands out from the rest in a peaceful neighborhood of Phan Rang-Thap Cham, a coastal city in Ninh Thuan Province about four hours’ ride from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The limited amount of space notwithstanding, the indoor environment is surprisingly comfortable thanks to a small inner courtyard designed for improved natural light and ventilation.

Using wood adds visual interest to the indoor environment, improves acoustics and balances out the coarseness of concrete surfaces.

Named “QAH”, the three-story terraced house offering 220 square meters of living space is the brainchild of Q&A Architects, an architectural practice based in Phan Rang-Thap Cham. As to be expected in a dense urban environment, the company was tasked with creating a townhouse that would strike the right balance between work and the fast pace of city life.

townhouse
A detailed diagram shows all three levels of the house plan. As a whole, 30 percent of the total space is dedicated to open areas filled with lush greenery. / Courtesy of Q&A Architects

After examining the nature of the site and exploring public realm (a shared space in the community), the design team came up with a three-story townhouse plan with roughly 30 percent of total living and functional spaces dedicated to open areas front and back for relaxation. Plus, there’s a small interior yard under the stairs brightened up by an array of skylights built into the rooftop.

The indoor environment feels invitingly comfortable, thanks to a greenery-filled yard enclosed within the building.

That’s not all. Everywhere, smart home functions blend perfectly into convenient interior design hiding in simplicity. Take for example the terrace leading to the front door that’s covered in stone pavers and adorned with greenery thriving under tree cover. To create charm, good looks, the walls are built of wood painted an earthy dark brown that balances out the coarseness of nearby concrete surfaces.

Walk in the door, and you come into the entrance hall connected to a neat and clean dining room and kitchenette. Close at hand, the small inner courtyard lies illuminated by skylights directly above. And beyond, a quiet, secluded office nook hides in plain sight at the farthest end of the room.

Using wood adds visual interest to the indoor environment, improves acoustics and balances out the coarseness of concrete surfaces.
A bright interior courtyard under the stairs separates an office nook at the rear from the dining room and kitchenette up front.

In a nutshell, it’s thoughtfully devised to let nature permeate, yet it fits in well with the homeowner’s needs and circumstances. Among the features that create work-life balance in the home, the stairwell at the midpoint of the house plan eliminates the need for mechanical ventilation and artificial light during daytime hours.

A flight of stairs built flush with the adjoining walls separates an office nook at the back from the dining room up front.

The principal bedroom on the second floor is cozy and spacious, thanks to the vaulted ceiling that follows the pitch of the roof. The ceiling and the walls are painted a cool-toned cream, while a sofa set in dark brown and bedding in muted green accent the background colors in the room. Up front, large windows open to admit natural daylight and fresh outdoor air stream into the interior, a perfect combination of colors and textures by any standards.

The principal bedroom on the second floor feel relaxed, thanks to a sofa set in earthy brown and well-positioned large windows affording a view of the cityscape.

The stairway leading to the third floor is brightened up by skylights casting shadows and colors on rough sandy textures on the walls. Together they work in tandem turning the home into a comfortable living space despite space constraints and a narrow frontage abutting the street.

A skylight system built into the rooftop lights up the stairway and a courtyard directly below.

As one would reasonably expect, the third floor holds an ancestral shrine symbolic of Vietnamese folk religion. It’s a mezzanine with an uninterrupted view of the entire interior. Carefully thought out, the courtyard directly below can be seen in full view from here.

A system of skylights built into the rooftop brightens up the spacious, well-ventilated stairwell, a clever hack to create calm and peaceful interiors.

At the very heart of design thinking, the gable front townhouse named “QAH” is made for easy, simple living, and in the fewest possible words, a house plan that strikes the right balance between work and life in the city.

A bird’s eye view of the gable front townhouse in relation to other homes in the neighborhood.

townhouse

Architects: Q&A Architects (https://www.facebook.com/qaarchitects247/)

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CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee: A Coffee Shop in Earth-Toned Green Where the Classic Meets the Modern
livingasean

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee: A Coffee Shop in Earth-Toned Green Where the Classic Meets the Modern

/ Ninh Thuan, Vietnam /

/ Story: Phattaraphon / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Nguyen Duy Hoach /

Fresh brewed coffee smells like heaven, or so they say. And if you have a chance to swing by the beautiful central coast of Vietnam, get yourself a good strong cuppa at CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee located at Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province. Find pleasure in the timeless atmosphere where the classic meets the modern. Here, lush green color paired with earth-toned brown turns a cute coffeehouse into a Shangri-La making every day a perfect day.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee
Seen from across the street, the coffeehouse façade features a beautiful mix of classic and modern architectural styles.

From architectural perspectives, it’s about creating a design that embraces the beauty of works of art that have become classics and, at the same time, make use of modern materials that are right for prevailing weather conditions on the ocean front.

The front façade is built of glass bricks, a classic material designed to admit light, turning the coffeehouse into a well-lighted place.

The Tropics is warm all year as we know it, and the city of Phan Rang-Thap Cham is no stranger to intense sunlight and strong winds. For this reason, the storefront has to be made impervious to storm water.

Plus, it must be capable of keeping the heat out and, at the same time, letting natural light in. Rising to the challenge, the architects at PT Arch Studio chose glass bricks for the façade, and it works perfectly.

Aa axonometric projection shows interior space arrangements with a rooftop layout in relation to two glass dome skylights over the stairwell and seating areas. / Courtesy of PT Arch Studio

 

 

Downstairs floor plan with the terrace storefront. / Courtesy of PT Arch Studio
Upstairs floor plan. / Courtesy of PT Arch Studio

 

In cross section, a diagrammatic representation shows the side elevation and space arrangements in relation to the glass dome skylight at the midpoint. / Courtesy of PT Arch Studio

The coffeehouse features large lounges typical of classic restaurant interior design. To make customers feel comfortable, the seating areas and coffee nooks are arranged in neat, attractive order.

Both downstairs and upstairs rooms are well-lit and well-ventilated, thanks to a stack ventilation system that uses temperature differences to move air. The rooftop has two glass dome skylights that allow natural light streaming inside and double as engine driving cross ventilation forcing warm and stale air to exit through the rooftop.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee
A set of stairs enclosed by glass brick walls gives access to the second floor. Along the outer circumference, round benches with coffee trays come in handy when the house is full and no seats available. Good thinking!
CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee
Lit up by a rooftop skylight, the spiral stairs enclosed by glass brick walls provide access to seating areas on the second floor.

As is the case with business buildings across Vietnam, CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee is situated on an elongated rectangle with a narrow frontage abutting on the street. Originally, it was a design lacking fresh air and ventilation, an unpleasant situation that had to be dealt with from the start.

The team of architects at PT Arch Studio solved the problem by integrating natural elements into the plan as much as possible. And glass bricks came in handy to avoid the interior becoming a stuffy, overcrowded space. Overhead, a pair of rooftop skylights let natural light shine into both downstairs and upstairs.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee
An open concept floor plan makes the interior space feel spacious, airy and comfortable.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee

A tree thrives under the glass dome skylight illuminating the interior in muted green hues and earth-toned brown.

Precisely, it’s a layout that effectively harnesses the feel-good benefits of nature to make the business space feel comfortable, warm and welcoming. Where necessary, glass mirrors are added to give the impression of ample space in the interior.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee

A glass dome skylight illuminates the stairwell connecting the first and second floors.

In terms of building performance, walk in the door and you find a beautiful, large coffee bar illuminated by natural light streaming in from above. At the midpoint, a spiral staircase enclosed by glass brick walls provides access to seating areas on the second floor.

Small bench seats with coffee trays along the outside of the circular wall add visual interest to interior design. They serve a useful purpose as extra seating when the house is full and no seats available. Every step of the way, signature interior furnishings in cool-toned earthy green and brown promote positive thinking and peace of mind.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee
A glass brick enclosure holds the spiral staircase illuminated by a rooftop skylight. Nearby, a large mirror on the wall creates a sense of space.
CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee
Upstairs seating arrangements showcase the signature cool green hues mixed with earth-toned brown.

Two glass dome skylights illuminate the stairwell and seating areas in cool green and earth-toned brown.

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee

CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee

Taken as a whole, the interior is spacious and neatly arranged. The stuffiness of the unusually long and narrow space is nicely compensated for by well-thought-out design, building strategies and creative use of modern materials.

And the result of all this? CoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee capable of fulfilling a role for which it is intended – a place that’s convenient, neat and clean plus coffee smells like fresh brewed heaven. And, the price is right, too. Looking for a good strong cuppa? Well, you get the idea.

Architect: PT Arch Studio (www.ptarchstudio.com)

Lead Architects: Nguyen Van, Phuoc Thinh

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