Architecture

Greenery grows out of concrete House for Trees

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Ha Long Villa is the latest project in Vo Trong Nghia's House for Trees series, which aims to reintroduce greenery to Vietnam's inner-city areas
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa is the latest project in Vo Trong Nghia's House for Trees series, which aims to reintroduce greenery to Vietnam's inner-city areas
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa measures 1,190 sq m (roughly 12,800 sq ft), spread over six floors
Hiroyuki Oki
Vo Trong Nghia Architects says that due to the simplicity of the design, it could be replicated almost anywhere in tropical regions
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa's greenery contrasts with its rough concrete exterior
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa is located in Ha Long, a coastal city in northern Vietnam, northeast of the capital Hanoi
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa's design is suited to the local climate and enables the home's occupants to escape the heat and noise of the surrounding city
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa includes six floors, so that's a lot of stairs to climb up and down
Hiroyuki Oki
"The main concept of the house is to create space where people can live in a forest," says Vo Trong Nghia. "In creating a surrounding forest, the house is comprised of a pentagon within a pentagon that establishes spatial layers of interior and semi-exterior spaces filled with greenery"
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa will become covered in even more greenery as the trees continue to grow
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa's shared areas, like the entertainment room pictured, are on the lower floors
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa's interior decor makes use of finished concrete and wood
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa's private areas, like the bedrooms and bathrooms, are located in the upper floors
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa is situated on a site overlooking a bay with rocky outcrops
Hiroyuki Oki
Ha Long Villa, shown illuminated at night
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Bird's eye view of Ha Long Villa, showing its position overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay
Hiroyuki Oki
View gallery - 15 images

With its House for Trees series, Vo Trong Nghia Architects has embarked on a mission to reintroduce greenery to inner-city Vietnam. Ha Long Villa is the latest home in the series, with the large luxury residence featuring trees that jut out of a concrete exterior.

The house is located in Ha Long, a coastal city in Vietnam, northeast of the capital Hanoi. It's situated on a choice plot overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay, which is populated with thousands of rocky outcrops (its rough concrete exterior is meant to echo these rocks).

Ha Long Villa will become covered in even more greenery as the trees continue to grow
Hiroyuki Oki

The home's layout is very much designed around the local climate and enables occupants to escape the street noise and heat to enjoy the shade and greenery inside.

"The main concept of the house is to create space where people can live in a forest," says Vo Trong Nghia Architects. "In creating a surrounding forest, the house is comprised of a pentagon within a pentagon that establishes spatial layers of interior and semi-exterior spaces filled with greenery. This composition creates deep shadows as part of the double skin green facade against the hot tropical climate. This buffer space between the interior and exterior spaces protect the house against the hot climate and noise."

The interior has a considerable total floorspace of 1,190 sq m (roughly 12,800 sq ft), which is spread over no less than six floors – walking up and down all those stairs should help keep the owners in good shape. It has a material palette of smooth finished concrete and wood, with large operable glazing opening it up to the breeze in places.

Ha Long Villa's shared areas, like the entertainment room pictured, are on the lower floors
Hiroyuki Oki

The lower floors include two entrances, a garage, and an entertainment room. Moving up a floor reveals the dining and living room, plus the kitchen and bathroom, while the upper floors feature six bedrooms and a like number of bathrooms. The residence is topped by a garden terrace on the uppermost floor that has dozens of plants.

Ha Long Villa is quite similar to Vo Trong Nghia Architecs' previous House for Trees project Binh House and the firm says that due to the simplicity of the design, it could be replicated almost anywhere in tropical regions.

Source: Vo Trong Nghia Architects

View gallery - 15 images
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2 comments
MerlinGuy
First picture looks like every youtube drone shot of an abandoned building.
paul314
I was thinking not abandoned but bombed out. Shell of the building standing, trees growing out through where the roof used to be. I wonder if it has those associations for anyone in its neighborhood.