Banh Duc House / Space Design Archgroup

closed

Text description provided by the architects.Banh Duc House is a house inspired by a traditional Vietnamese cake known for its soft and smooth texture. When we began sketching, we constantly thought about the perfect minimalism that Vietnamese cake brings. Simplicity always gives us a profound view of aesthetics, the intersection, and connection. The main idea of the spaces involves stacking small volumes on top of each other, thus opening up layered spaces to create the interaction of sunlight, wind, and rain. As always, when starting the design process, we place our thoughts on simplicity and the most important "compensatory" aspect of the entire project, disregarding all decoration, stripping away all the glamour that everyone desires. What remains is the basic form, the essence, and the necessary interaction within the space that the homeowner truly desires.The house is a balanced whole of ventilated space that utilizes wind traps and reduces heat in Ho Chi Minh City. Thus, during the hot season, the stacked openings reduce the temperature compared to the surrounding environment, while during the rainy season, space is created for interaction with nature as rain falls directly onto the water's surface. The main materials of the project are simple, only building walls, painting them white, and installing large glass panels, which is the purpose of the design team to create a simple, basic contrast to guide an inward-oriented space that, when connected, will have an outward orientation. Greenery in the project is mainly used to complement the simplicity of the project, from watering to care, all are balanced.From there, all connections of the homeowner will naturally appear. Daily activities become more flexible when workspaces or dining areas can quickly become shared outdoor and indoor spaces. Additionally, some prominent elements in the design of Banh Duc House include the combination of solid and void blocks. Instead of maximizing the area, which would be excessive for usage needs, the architect reserves a spacious area for experience, a place with water, open space, sunshine, and rain. The house faces southwest, so the inward-facing spaces are the dense cluster of the project. In addition to solid-void elements, compensation is also emphasized, which is the part that makes up for what's lacking: the symbiotic relationship between people, between people and the house, and external societal interactions.With a vertical traffic design, sanitary blocks, and kitchen blocks are moved to one side to optimize the remaining living spaces while also conveniently handling the investor's maintenance issues. This creates sustainable value and avoids waste during construction. Banh Duc House is a townhouse project with a simple, rustic idea, but the core elements inside are meticulously and carefully expressed. Banh Duc House embodies the concept of living modestly, as a place to live and build memories, as every perspective in space is directed towards mutual interaction.