/ Story: Phattaraphon / English Version: Bob Pitakwong / Photographs: Arti Pictures /
A live/work design solution could be just what you’re looking for. Here’s a home developed for a designer couple in Tangerang, Indonesia. Known as MP House, it marries work-from-home essentials with well-planned living spaces that come loaded with personality.
The secret to a productive daily routine, it combines both residential and home office functions. The workspace lies on the first floor, that also includes a semi-basement, while the more private residential area is placed on the level above it.
The ample residential space is divided into two parts. Semi‐private facilities such as the living room and dining room take up the front of the house, whereas more private spaces and bedrooms are located at the rear that are designed for peace and seclusion.
On the first floor, only a dry garden separates the home office from the guest and kids’ bedrooms at the rear. By design, healthy green foliage in the center courtyard serves as an engine that drives natural ventilation and provides a light and heat barrier. The result is a tranquil indoor environment that’s the key to a happy family life.
In a sensitive and practical way, indoor ramps with handrails are chosen as an alternative to a set of stairs to provide access between different levels. The sloped pathways are particularly useful for the homeowner’s elderly parents. Plus, it’s the split-level design that makes the most effective use of available space.
There is a real sense of achievement in the way the living room and dining room merge into one large lounge with comforting earth tones and double-height ceiling design. It’s a place to eat home-cooked meals and enjoy family conversations that help keep everyone together. Semi-private by design, the ample social interaction space is well-lit and well-ventilated.
The house has a modern exterior. Filled with cement breeze blocks, aka screen blocks, the front façade looks onto another dry garden located just above the carport.
The decorative breeze blocks are chosen for their ability to provide sun protection and maintain openness and airflow. Meantime, flat masonry textures that are repetitive and earthy in color provide a variety of light refraction that adds aesthetic pleasure to the interior living space.
The building is roofed over with a gable design that offers many benefits. Besides strength and durability, it allows the architects to create all kinds of space underneath.
The result is a hybrid live/work design of the home office and the place of residence that feels pleasantly comfortable and capacious.
The design studio of VTN Architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects) sits comfortably ensconced in a plant-covered six-story building in Ho Chi Minh City. The 1,300-square-meter office block is adorned with balconies containing lush green gardens that combine to create a vibrant building shell. It’s a design based on an understanding of the challenges facing big cities and the importance of environmental conservation.
Far and wide a lack of recreation areas and green spaces, coupled with rapidly worsening air pollution, is causing serious health problems for people in urban areas. It’s for this reason that living trees and shrubs are integrated into the ‘ building’s external envelope.
The result is a green office block that brings fresh air to the design. Here, easy-care trees cool the air, provide shade, and filter out dangerous, fine particulate matter. It transforms ideas into solutions as Vietnam, a developing country, joins a global network of advanced manufacturing hubs.
Precisely, it’s a design rooted in good environmental management practice that aims to minimize human impacts on surrounding ecosystems – a fact that’s easy to overlook when planning a building. Also known as the Urban Farming Office, it communicates a message that failure to do so will have unpredictable and often undesirable consequences.
The Urban Farming Office isn’t just home to a design studio. It’s also a perfect example of innovative companies driven by a desire to go green in the workplace.
Plus, it gives back healthy lush foliage and a breath of fresh air to the city. That’s not all though. It draws attention to many possibilities of vertical gardening – techniques to grow more in less space.
From the outside looking in, the building façade looks like a botanical laboratory lined with decorative concrete containers where trees and plants grow. They are mostly easy-to-care-for native plants that thrive in local ecosystems. Where appropriate, seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices are grown organically to meet family needs. It’s a way to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
And it’s safe, eco-friendly, and even energy efficient.
From a distance, thriving vegetation turns the bland building shell into a lushly planted living façade. Overall it’s a straightforward concrete construction with outdoor platforms attached to the side of the building.
These balconies are filled with modular concrete planters designed to be moved easily depending on the height and growth of trees. This ensures that each particular species gets sufficient amounts of sun to grow.
Combine biodiversity in the balcony and rooftop gardening with the surrounding landscape, and you get an expansive urban forest that amounts to 190 percent of the total project area. As the architect puts it, this translates into 1.1 tons of vegetation including native edible plants, vegetables, herbs and fruit trees carefully chosen as being the best and most suitable.
Also, it’s organic farming and the quality of being diverse that give the office building a cheerful and positive personality.
Walk past the front façade, and you come before an inviting first impression. The window, doorframe and exterior wall are glazed entirely with glass to protect interior rooms from the elements.
On the outside, lush green vegetation doubles as a building envelope that filters out harsh sunlight while allowing plenty of fresh, outdoor air to pass into the interior workspaces. Plant watering is done using rainwater stored in catch basins strategically placed around the building.
The irrigation method that sprays water droplets overhead with sprinklers also keeps the ambient temperature cool, thereby saving money on air conditioning costs.
On every level, the open floor plan boasts clean lines that make the interior workspace look more spacious and well-ventilated all day long. All told, it’s the ingenious double wall design that makes living a whole lot easier and less stressful.
To give a brief summary, green architecture isn’t the only feature that makes this office building stand out from the rest. Rather, it’s also the image of organizational culture that speaks volumes for the determination of the architects who live and work here.
VTN Architects have demonstrated that humans and the environment can coexist symbiotically. This is achievable by letting nature permeate and be a crucial part of the city and any office design. It’s the way forward in creating a more equitable, sustainable future.
The cube shape and flat roof lend a modern air to this white house on the outskirts of Bangkok. Designed for a hot, humid climate, it is gently calming and comfortable to live without air conditioning. The home’s contemporary style belies the traditional Thai way of life that’s central to its existence and character. Plus, it shows great attention to detail that makes the house feel warm and welcoming.
Amazing as it may seem, the cube shaped modern home sits on a narrow lot that’s only 5 meters wide. There’s a small waterway and public walk along the left side of the land. In such situation, the homeowner has to forfeit 3 meters of land along the waterfront to make room for public access as required by law.
The result is a piece of land with a narrow frontage to the street as it is now. And that’s where the design team came in to create a place that’s light and airy yet relying little on air conditioning. The homeowner lives with her elderly mother; hence the new house comes in handy to answer their specific lifestyle needs.
For the most part, wood is the building material of choice. Despite its ultramodern architecture, the house plan is the quintessence of the Thai way.
The side of the house that looks out over the public walk gets plenty of fresh air and natural daylight. But it’s also facing west, which means the afternoon sun is much harsher and brighter.
To solve this problem, the design team puts in a perforated metal façade that doubles as an outer shell that helps keep the house cool during daylight hours. The outer shell crafted of steel is painted white to harmonize in color and texture with the nearby boundary fence. It’s a simple yet effective way to overcome a challenge on site.
By design, this modern home is well ventilated thanks to open concept floor plans both in front and at the rear of the building. There’s nothing to block the winds from the north or the south. Wood stairs with no risers not only allow fresh air to enter and circulate in the interior.
They also illuminate the stairwell and nearby areas with natural daylight. The structure is a hybrid of steel beams and joists supported by concrete piles and arranged in an orderly way like traditional Thai architecture in former times.
Plus, solid hardwood flooring looks very nice and makes the interior cooler in the summer.
To create warm, beautiful environments, the house floor is made of hardwood on all three levels. As a natural building material, wood evokes positive responses. Plus, it has a substantial impact on the wellbeing of humans in ways that tiles and concrete floors cannot.
Meantime, pieces of furniture from the old house are given a new lease on life. They are adapted for use in a different purpose and given a fresh coat of paint that proves a perfect complement to white home decorating ideas.
Showing great attention to detail, the design team ensures the house plan is right for the elderly mother who lives here. To make it easy for her to walk up a flight of stairs, each riser is reduced to just 15 cm (from the average 17 to 18 cm).
As a precaution against slip and fall accidents, each stair tread is made deeper than average, thanks to angled risers that provide extra space.
The house fence is made of air bricks painted white. They have holes in them to create an air flow between the property and the public walkway on the other side.
The masonry wall has no see-through gaps in it, which offers privacy and protection from unwanted prying eyes. It’s an oasis of calm on the outskirts of the city, thanks to additional green spaces along the fence line adorned with shrubs that thrive in the understory of tall trees.
The farthest end leads to a vegetable garden where Mom spends most of her free time preparing the soil, planting a crop, and nurturing the plants. Backyard vegetable gardening is an ingenious way to live a salubrious life. It not only puts fresh food on the table, but also speaks volumes for their determination to preserve the Thai way of life in this modern home.
/ Story: Nawapat Dusdul / Photograph: Mario Wibowo /
For an Indonesian family, life in an urban kampong (village in Indonesian) is a beautiful journey. Aquino Krishadi and Elis Rosmiati lived for some time in a medium-density urban kampong. The positive feeling that they cherish is brought with them as they move into a new home in Cimahi, roughly ten minutes’ drive from Bandung Metropolis in West Java.
Their new house is designed by Ismail Solehudin of Ismail Solehudin Architecture. Reflecting the Indonesian village or kampong experience, the siding materials that enclose and divide interior living spaces are made of rigid PVC sheets mixed with brick masonry. It’s a creative way to build, plus it provides excellent toughness and good moisture resistance.
Made for living green in a small space, the new dwelling is aptly entitled “Kampoong in House” for the character and real certain appeal of village life that gave them the inspiration.
Sharing his points of view, Ismail said that the design was based on the client’s experience from having lived in an urban village, plus their interest in a sustainable way of living, albeit in a small space.
In so doing, he translated these ideas into a coherent distribution of masses and expertly crafted house plan that divides the interior and exterior spaces.
The front of the house features an eclectic mix of items and decorations ubiquitous among urban villages across Indonesia. They include different textures and materials that come together in an untidy way.
Among them are ornaments such as window box planters, skylights, garden areas and unfilled spaces in the wall that drive natural ventilation.
Commenting on a hybrid of brickwork and PVC sheets, Ismail said that PVC is strong and durable, which explains why it’sone of the most widely used thermoplastic polymers worldwide. Here, it’s used on the façade to protect against damage from too much sun and rain.
Meantime, exposed brick walls provide great opportunities to experiment with various textures and patterns. The break in the wall allows fresh air to enter and circulate in the interior, a perfect solution for houses in a tropical climate.
Step inside, and you come to an open area with green space that’s an essential room in the house. It conveniently connects to a plant-filled living room, kitchen, and a large backyard garden.
In all places, unfilled spaces in the wall and green areas create microclimates that differ from those in the surrounding areas. Plus, they allow natural light and improve air circulation at the same time.
Cocooned in a comforting way, bedrooms are slightly hidden from view reachable via an interior corridor lined with functions that serve practical purposes, among them a bar table and a few bookshelves.
All things considered, it’s a design that promotes interactions among family members without intruding into their lives. It turns expertly crafted design into a home where living green isn’t just helping the environment or better quality of life.
It’s also a way to bring you back in time and experience the Indonesian way of life as it’s always been.
This is a stilt house design where the contemporary style merges with rural vernacular in Chanthaburi. It’s built on the concept of home with a dual nature – a villa-cum-homestay. The design pays particular attention to the simple life and harmony with the surroundings, plus good positioning in relation to light and wind patterns makes it more comfortable to live.
Baan Lek Villa is the work of “Kaew” Rinrada Nirote, homeowner and architect at GLA DESIGN STUDIO, in collaboration with designer Pitch Nimchinda. It’s intended to accommodate her family, house guests and friends of her mother (“Lek” Kuna Nirote).
Rinrada came to Bangkok to further her studies and has worked there since graduation. Little by little it dawned on her that building a new house in her native Chanthaburi would be a good idea.
It would give her a place to stay and a small office away from the city. She wanted a design that looked simple yet attractive, kept within the budget, and blended into the community.
The result is a home that merges with the surrounding countryside. Simple house design offers two distinctly different zones – private and public areas.
The living space is raised up on piles, while the ample multi-use area underneath it is meant for dining and receiving guests.
Sharing her slice of paradise, Rinrada says that nowadays more people are yearning for a simple way of living. Advances in technology have made it possible for us live anywhere and still be able to work. What we need is a case for carrying clothes and a few personal belongings, plus a portable computer.
Even better if you have a place of your choice that helps you relax in nature. Intended to make our breaks truly refreshing in the countryside, this house was complete only recently. So far it has received many guests and friends of her mother and brother.
“We didn’t intend to make it a family business. I was into hotel designing to begin with. Now that I have a house of my own, Mom has invited her friends over. They loved it and spread the good word. So we thought the time was ripe to provide the accommodation of guests. It’s important that they get to experience the relaxing side of Chantaburi town,” she said.
What makes this house unique is the architectural detail that’s right for the climate of Thailand.
The design takes into account seasonal variations, such as sunlight and wind patterns, to create a comfortable environment. Rinrada got the inspiration for the multi-use ground floor from “Have you eaten yet?” a traditional expression of goodwill that Thais say as a sign of welcome.
This explains why a dining table set and kitchen counter are there. The area doubles as waiting room for people who drop by for a visit just like old times.
Walk up the stairs and you come to a more private area of the house, which consists of a large balcony and main living quarters.
Overall, the building is made of concrete that works well with beautiful wood accents. To make the building appear lightweight, the entire floor of the overhanging balcony is made of steel framework.
Taken as a whole, it’s a perfect mix of concrete, steel and clever design that lets the beauty of natural wood stand out.
For an aesthetic appeal, the ground floor is covered to some extent by eggshell pebble pavers that seamlessly connect with the surrounding landscape. The garden sits in the shade for much of the day thanks to the house being positioned on the western side of land.
The fact that it’s located in the further reach also leaves plenty of extra room available for future projects. For the time being, Rinrada intends to turn the front yard into an ample garden filled with large trees, shrubs and natural light.
Most importantly, Rinrada says it’s the understanding of the context that sets the main idea about good house design. Appropriate orientation involves more than just the sun’s path or seasonal wind patterns. Every little detail must be taken into account.
This modest home is designed to blend with the environment and other key attributes that have made Chanthaburi town famous. It merges with rural vernacular and sprawling fruit orchards. It’s built of material that’s available locally, reclaimed lumber included.
All told, it’s one that stands in perfect harmony with the community.
This impressive small contemporary breeze block house is the place where a married couple live with their seven dogs. House on stilt design paired with a breeze block wall allows plenty of air and natural light into the room. Pleasant and healthy, it’s a paradise for avid dog lovers and their fluffy companions.
The side facing west gets double layer protection. While a rose apple tree keeps the house in shade during the day, a continuous vertical breeze block structure allows fresh air into the interior.
The sheer loveliness of man’s best friends was reason enough for a married couple, Roung Jobby Wuttinawin and Whan Paktranon, to build a home ideally suited for their needs.
The problem was Whan had allergies. To avoid going about it in the wrong way, they left the planning in the good hands of architect Unnop Wongwaipananij of REUN Home Design.
The result is a modern, geometric-shaped stilt breeze block house with a shed roof that’s well ventilated, easy to keep clean and easy to update.
The side of the house facing west is protected by a continuous vertical breeze block structure, plus a full-grown tree to keep the home in shade for much of the day.
The under-floor space has a carport and laundry area with plenty of room for doggie nooks. In essence, it’s a small place with all the comforts of a full-functioning home where humans and dogs live in harmony.
Jobby’s favorite spot in the house has a big table that changes function from work to recreation to dining in a flash. Here, time well spent is time spent with best friends. In a quiet and calm environment, who needs a coffee shop?By floating a couch in the middle of the sitting room, the designer creates the illusion of having more space. It’s a great way to optimize the room to cultivate a bond between man’s best friends and their owners, plus it’s easy to update and keep clean.The modern shed roof dwelling is raised high above the ground on piles reminiscent of traditional Thai houses. The under-floor space has a carport, laundry area, and room for dogs to lounge about, play and get some exercise.
A dog’s dream breeze block house
“This house is built for the dogs. We just share a living space like a big family,” said Jobby with a laugh.
Sharing his story with us, Jobby said: “Originally I lived with Mom to the rear of the property. Other siblings also resided in the neighborhood. After I got married, I received this plot of land, about one rai, from Mom. We wanted a home that could accommodate all seven dogs we had at the time. Later, when three of them died, we adopted three new dogs after they had been injured. Who knows, we may have more in future.”.
The couple sought advice from Unnop, their architect friend who also took an avid interest in dogs.
And the rest was history. Their new breeze block house is a salubrious place, one that’s bright, happy and easy to keep clean.
A section of the laundry room is cordoned off to make room for a dog yard with temporary individual crates for some that don’t get along.A lightweight sofa can move easily to make the small living room feel bigger.The bedroom is furnished with just the bare necessities consisting of a bed, sideboard, and desk. Open plan design makes perfect sense in a situation where dogs are allowed to sleep in the bedroom.
A happy state of mind in geometric design
The geometric house design that the couple requests is simple yet attractively modern thanks to its shed roof style.
Stilt house design offers ample under-floor spaces for a carport, laundry area and plenty of room just for dogs.
The floor is a flat slap that’s formed of concrete making it easy for future updates. It lies surrounded by lush green lawns and stable pea gravel paths that are ideal for dog runs.
Whan said that she discovered the benefits of breeze block construction while reading BaanLaeSuan magazines. Square concrete blocks with air vents are a perfect match for geometric house design.
“In fact, I want to do more home decorating, but ‘Photo’ (her golden retriever) is only 9 months old and very active. So the open floor plan is the best solution at least for the time being. Living room furniture understandably comes down to the bare essentials.
“There’s a couch that floats in the middle of the room surrounded by dogs, while a computer desk for Jobby is placed against a wall. The dogs sleep in the same room at night.”
A design based on human needs and dog behavior
The blueprint of this breeze block house is not only about humans sharing a living space with their canine companions. It’s also about creating functions suitable for their physical and mental health.
Every little thing counts. The top half of the main gate is made of perforated metal sheets that allow dogs to see outside. The deck bench seat and stairs have steel railing that protects against slip and fall accidents. The floors are non-carpeted to reduce dust and allergens in the home.
As a precaution, rough floor tiles are used instead. Curtains are made of washable material that’s easy to keep clean. Meantime, window sills are set lower with safety grazing to allow dogs to look outside.
In developing his design concept, the architect said: “Because the house faces due south, the front façade sees the most hours of sunlight during the day. So we put the building in the east side of the land with the bedroom at the rear to avoid heat buildup inside and for better privacy..
“To cool down the interior living spaces, the bathroom is placed along the side to provide a buffer against the harsh afternoon sun. This in turn keeps the bathroom dry and protects against humidity damage.
“For practical reasons, an air brick wall is chosen to allow southwesterly winds to enter and circulate inside. Nearby, an additional layer of protection is provided by a full-grown rose apple tree.”
There are many health benefits of owning dogs. They are reason enough to wake up feeling fresh, get out of bed, and step outside.Even dogs need a vacation. Jobby, Whan and their four-legged friends are on a bird watching trip to Bang Pu, Samut Prakarn, which is only a short drive from where they live.
Asked what it’s like to live here, the couple said: “Overjoyed! We’ve made the most effective use of indoor and outdoor spaces, especially the main living room. The late afternoon is usually spent with the dogs in the under-floor room where fresh air is plentiful.
“Sometimes we take them out for a walk, go swimming or make a bird watching trip to Bang Pu, which is only 10 kilometers away. The seven dogs make living here a pleasure. Each one of them has its special doggie nook.
The fact that the house is made of clay has enabled brick buildings to make deep connections with the natural world in so many ways. More importantly, the structures built of small rectangular blocks derived from nature are endowed with the power of storytelling that provides a window on vernacular culture, the environment, and the way of life native to a locality. These qualities are manifested in outstanding works of architecture, the likes of which are obvious at this house in Da Nang, Vietnam that uses brick walls as the main building element.
It all started with a family’s desire to renovate their home on a budget. A team of architects from the design firm Tropical Space soon came up with an idea inspired by termite mounds.
They knew that the small soft-bodied insects built their homes by cementing masses of earth with saliva. Amazingly, they are quite capable of withstanding hot and humid climates for long stretches of time.
For this reason, the architects designed the house walls to be built of bricks placed on top of each other with a break between blocks to create little ventilation holes that allow in light and drive natural air circulation.
Designed for tropical living, the 140-square-meter box-shaped house wrapped in perforate brick walls is going by the name “Termitary House.”
The hall at the center of the house plan is spacious and well-lit, thanks to the skylight positioned directly above it. It has room for plenty of functions ranging from a sitting parlor to dining room to pantry. The natural light cycle interacts with the interior spaces, resulting in different color renditions as day goes by.
To protect from heat, the team of architects put in perfectly opaque walls on the sides exposed to intense sunlight.
Meantime, the sides with less exposure to bright light had small openings built into the walls to promote air circulation, resulting in thermal comfort in the interior living spaces year round.
The same applied to the brick house façade that’s its most outstanding feature. The vertical flat structure was made of bricks fired the old-fashion way and laid with air holes at intervals all the way across.
The result is a breathing wall that allows in just enough light and a fresh supply of air. The light and spacious atmosphere lends a modern air to the home designed to be free from dust in summer and safe from inclement weather during the monsoon season.
More importantly, it’s about privacy that comes with unique design.
Situated on a rectangular plot with narrow frontage, this box shaped house is enclosed by brick walls with ventilation holes built into them. They serve multiple functions as privacy screens, breathing walls, and means of admitting daylight into the interior.
It’s a house plan that prioritizes thermal comfort as well as functions. The staircase, storage room and bath are strategically placed on the east and west sides.
During daytime hours they double as a layer of insulation to keep sunlight heat out. The hall at the center is spacious and well-lit, thanks to the skylight positioned directly above it.
The area offers plenty of space for a sitting parlor, pantry and dining area as well as easy access to the bedroom, bathroom and small reading room on the mezzanine.
Open concept design paired with perforated room dividers contributes to visual continuity that enables family to stay connected, happy and warm even on a busy day.
A small corridor lies between the outer brick wall and the inner wall decorated with transparent glass. Glass walls maximize natural light while protecting the interior living spaces from rain.Well thought-out design adds privacy to the bedroom on the mezzanine. Opaque walls paired with perforated brick walls and skylight in the ceiling add a new dimension to design. Meantime, glass paneling for the wall is installed to protect the room from dust and inclement weather.
Breathing walls offer several advantages. By design, countless small holes in them let a moderate amount of light shine through, increase air circulation, and reduce interior temperatures to a comfortable level.
Upfront, the vertical brick structure provides an awesome privacy screen that’s energy efficient and allows people inside to see out. Made from inexpensive local materials, it comes alive when good sunshine creates movement and a shadow play on the surface.
And the show goes on day and night, thanks to the form, color and texture that give the brick wall its character.
The house walls are built of bricks placed on top of each other with a break between blocks to create countless small holes that allow light and air to enter and circulate freely. The resulting perforate shell contributes to physical ease and well-being in the tropical style home.
The night is aglow under the beams of electric light shining through the perforate shell. It’s a phenomenon that conjures up the image of a beautiful lantern symbolic of a joyful celebration.
This story is from Modern Vernacular Homes Special Issue: Happiness Matters. (Available here in Thai and English)
This home is one of the 13 Special Homes from the Modern Vernacular Homes: Happiness Matters Issue, Thai and English version by the Baan Lae Suan Team. The issue is available now! If you are interested, please contact us. >> www.facebook.com/messages/t/Baanlaesuanbooks
Architect: Tropical Space by Tran Thi Ngu Ngon and Nguyen Hai Long
A large intergenerational family calls this house home. With family members from 8 to 84 years old, what stories it tells! Here belongings passed down across nearly a century give a sense of modern oriental flavor to every corner of its design.
Patama Roonrakwit, the architect and the owner (second from the right), and her family
Long-time community worker Patama Roonrakwit, CASE Studio architect who designed and owns the house, created it from her knowledge of the ways and tastes of all its residents in their old home.
In a unique adaptation and fundamental design difference here, she preserved an old wooden house Pong’s grandfather had built, hiring Chinese craftsmen to raise it up to the second floor of the central building so family members could continue to experience its warmth.
Besides this, the home contains the offices of CASE Studio, Ed The Builder Contracting, her brother’s tour company, sister’s music school, and guest rooms where friends can stay.
All this had to fit in a space of 1 Rai (1600 sq.m.), a narrow, long north-to-south lot. The building divides into seven sections, some of which are open, verandah-like corridors that give an angular definition to the space, trapping the wind and making for good air circulation throughout.
Wooden slats guard against the sun and wind and create visual harmony.The lower floor is a multipurpose area, adapting the Thai traditional “tai thun” space below a house to fit modern lifestyles.A nearly hundred-year-old wooden house is set as the very center of the main home, and contains a shrine holding Buddha images.
Bedrooms are intentionally not large, so as to encourage residents to come out and socialize in common spaces. Throughout the home, doors open onto walkways sloping down to the swimming pool.
The swimming pool parallels the central verandah on the west side, which is set back a bit to reduce heat entering the central building.
The charm of the wooden house and the heirloom furniture gives the three generations of the Roonrakwit family and their regular guests the sense of a home that has opened its doors to welcome change while incorporating the experiences of them all at this important time.
An elderly person’s room, with special adaptations: bathrooms with no steps, support railings, and adjustable wash basins.An elderly person’s room, with special adaptations: bathrooms with no steps, support railings, and adjustable wash basins.
/ Long An, Vietnam / / Story: Nawapat, Nipapat Dusdul / Photograph: Oki Hiroyuki /
An attractive brick house in Vietnam’s Long An Province is the pride and joy of Tropical Space, a homegrown design studio specializing in mixing traditional Vietnamese brickwork with modern architectural styles.
Inspired by the beauty and durability of brick, Tropical Space recently built the innovatively designed home on 750 square meters of land.
The sloped roof house plan combines three separate living spaces into one modern home with strong architectural language.
The result is a beautiful blend of the traditional and the modern. There’s something that never changes. Brick is used here because it’s inherently a Vietnamese material used in building construction, and it’s indigenous to the area.
At the same time, with a deep understanding of Vietnamese culture and climate, the architects at Tropical Space are committed to the use of environment-friendly building practices and sustainable material selection.
The brick house in Long An is designed for a warm and humid climate. To maximize ventilation efficiency, the architects divide the sloped roof into two parts and put a courtyard in between them.
There are corridors connecting the two parts of the house. Meantime, perforated brick walls allow breezes to pass through and around the building.
Traditional Vietnamese design provides continuous functional spaces that stretch from the front to the back of the house. Boundaries between spaces are marked by the different quantity of light that varies from place to place.
It’s a brilliant layout that keeps the interior living spaces cool all year round without air conditioning.
The front yard floor is covered in brick pavers with holes capable of draining storm water fast and keeping ambient temperatures cool in summer. Next to the yard is a buffer space designed to create a beautifully transitional room from the yard to the living room, dining room and bedroom.
The kitchen is on the north side of the house plan along with other functions. It’s ideal for traditional Vietnamese cooking and offers very relaxing family rooms.
There are two bedrooms on the mezzanine with plenty of space for a quiet reading room and relaxation. The architects also put in stairs on both sides to easily connect with other areas inside and outside of the house.
This not only gives the children a play area, but also enables them to move around unhindered by solid walls.
Non (Intanon Chantip), INchan atelier, architect and owner of this HUAMARK 09 building, designed it to test theories he’d arrived at through intense study and experience. He wanted this concrete block house to tell its own story through the charm of materials that change over time.
The house resembles four stacked 3.6-meter boxes; fence and first floor outer walls are painted white to relieve the three storeys of grey above and bringing it closer to the look of other houses
Non and his wife Ploy (Tharisra Chantip) bought this a 30-year-old, 80 square wa (.8 acres) property in the Hua Mark district, demolishing the old house to erect a new four-storey mixed-use concrete block house with usable space of 490 square meters and combine office, residence, and art studio.
The façade is intentionally of cement blocks, which collect residue and change color with the seasons; outer metal grates let climbing vines grow naturally
Dividing the property into northern and southern sections, they raised the property level more than 40 percent to put in a garden to the north, then a rectangular building to the south.
The building’s long side runs east-west to block prevailing winds and allow openings to control sunlight and breeze entry into the house.
The house’s four-meter width is comparable to most row houses. Each side has double walls that work simultaneously for ventilation and heat insulation, with door and window openings reinforcing this concrete block house’s primary relationship to weather conditions, wind, and sun.
On the south side are fewer openings because of a staircase, while north and east sides have balconies and various service areas reaching around to the west side, which also has the double walls characteristic of the building’s overall design.
The 4 storeys are divided according to function. Architects’ offices are primarily in two first floor rooms: a larger one with a long work table for working in teams and a smaller one that serves as meeting room and library.
The second floor is a private residential area, with a living room connecting to kitchen and dining area.
Floor 3 contains one bedroom for Non and Ploy and another for Non’s mother. The two are connected with a shared bathroom.
The fourth floor is a studio for creation and enjoyment of art. It’s designed with a view to high flexibility of function in expectation of anticipated future changes as little members of the household gradually grow up.
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