Under rapid urbanization, cities in Vietnam have diverged far away from their origins as rampant tropical forests.
House for Trees
House for Trees, a prototypical house by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, is an effort to re-establish the connections between Vietnamese urban areas and the nature bringing back green spaces into the city.
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- 24 September 2014
- Ho Chi Minh City
In Ho Chi Minh City, as an example, only 0.25% area of the entire city is covered by greenery. Over-abundance of motorbikes causes daily traffic congestion as well as serious air pollution. As a result, new generations in urban areas are losing their connections with nature.
House for Trees, a prototypical house within a tight budget of 155,000 USD, is an effort to change this situation. The aim of project is to return green space into the city, accommodating high-density dwelling with big tropical trees.
Five concrete boxes, each houses a different program, are designed as pots to plant trees on their tops. With thick soil layer, these “pots” also function as storm-water basins for detention and retention, therefore contribute to reduce the risk of flooding in the city when the idea is multiplied to a large number of houses in the future.
House for Trees, Tanbinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Program: single-family house
Architects: Vo Trong Nghia Architects
Principal architects: Vo Trong Nghia, Masaaki Iwamoto, Kosuke Nishijima
Architect: Nguyen Tat Dat
Contractor: Wind and Water House JSC
Photographer: Hiroyuki Oki
Area: 111.66 sqm
Completion: 2014