Vietnam-based architectural firm Vo Trong Nghia took full advantage of a recent job adjacent to a public green space. In a bid to extend the green space into the property, the firm furnished the space with greenery, something that is seriously lacking in Ho Chi Minh City. Urban flooding, overheating and air pollution are among the environmental concerns in Ho Chi Minh, so this property delivers a message and takes action as well as looking the part.
Plants and trees seem to grow from every window and railing in this property. This gives a sense of continuity between the house and the nearby park, and after leaving the park, you enter the forested interior of Stepping Park House seamlessly.
The trees act to filter direct sunlight through windows, cool the wind, as well as brightening the interior with their lively greenery. In such a tropical environment, the open-plan core of the house minimises the need for air conditioning and enhances passive ventilation.
As you walk through the house, you can feel the wind blow from room to room. On the top floor of Stepping Park House, the greenery breaks up the intense sunlight.
Architecture firms in all urban tropical locations can learn a lot from the originality shown by Vo Trong Nghia Architects.
All images by Hiroyuki Oki.
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