Architecture

House for Trees brings some greenery to inner-city Vietnam

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House for Trees, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
House for Trees, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The recently-completed House for Trees was built for a total of US$156,000 (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The interior of the home is split into common spaces at street level, with private rooms upstairs (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The house sports an unusual layout (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
Interior shot of the House for Trees (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The home is based in Vietnam's Ho Chi Min City (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
House for Trees, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The modular boxes were built using a bamboo formwork and concrete (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The house includes a lounge, dining area and kitchen, with an altar room, bedrooms, and bathroom (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
Vo Trong Nghia Architects brought a little of the countryside to make something of an oasis within a bustling metropolis (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
A generous shaded courtyard lies between the boxes (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The upstairs features small footbridges enabling the residents to navigate between modules without being required to descend to the ground (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The residence features an unusual layout comprising five large boxes (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The home features a large central courtyard (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
The home is based in Vietnam's Ho Chi Min City (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)
Architectural drawing of House for Trees (Image: Vo Trong Nghiai)
Architectural drawing of House for Trees (Image: Vo Trong Nghiai)
Architectural drawing of House for Trees (Image: Vo Trong Nghiai)
Architectural drawing of House for Trees (Image: Vo Trong Nghiai)
View gallery - 19 images

Like many inner-city residential areas, the Tan Binh district in Vietnam's Ho Chi Min City is rather lacking in greenery. Local firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects sought to make daily life more comfortable for one family by constructing something of a private oasis within the bustling metropolis.

The recently-completed House for Trees was constructed at a cost of US$156,000, and features a total floorspace of 226 sq m (2,432 sq ft). The home is separated into five large boxes which differ in height and sport green roofs that's home to trees which grow within a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) deep layer of soil.

In addition to making life more pleasant for the residents, the green roofs also serve a practical purpose, adding insulation and a degree of stormwater protection to the home.

The home features a large central courtyard (Photo: Hiroyuki Oki)

Each of the boxes that make up House for Trees was built using a bamboo formwork and concrete, and feature a ventilated cavity between the concrete outer walls and inner brick walls to reduce heat transfer. Common spaces like the lounge and dining area lie on street level, while private areas such as the bathroom and bedrooms are upstairs.

A generous partly-shaded courtyard also lies between the boxes, and a handy series of footbridges enable the residents to navigate between some of the upper levels without being required to descend to the ground.

Source: Vo Trong Nghia via Arch Daily

View gallery - 19 images
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2 comments
BigGoofyGuy
I think that is cool and green.
I wonder if there is some sort of 'rebar' that is in the dirt so the roots would grow around it and help keep the trees from falling over?
tomtoys
Trees very fine. Could be trailing plants from the roof, vertical gardens, vines also - cheaper than nearly 5 foot of soil on the roof and do more to break up the look of all that concrete. Let the greening of cities continue.