story architecture fronts narrow vietnam house with stacked terraces
CategoriesArchitecture

story architecture fronts narrow vietnam house with stacked terraces

a family home for ho chi minh city, vietnam

 

Ho Chi Minh City-based studio Story Architecture unveils ‘House 3.5 x 17,’ a sun-drenched family home in the Vietnam city’s District 7. Designed for a couple and their two sons, the dwelling seeks to balance individual pursuits with shared family moments. Recognizing the client’s transition to a home-based career, the architects prioritized relaxation and connection beyond the home office. However, the limited plot size of 59.5 square meters presented a significant challenge. Story Architecture needed ingenuity to incorporate the desired elements: a swimming pool, elevator, car parking, three en-suite bedrooms, and inviting living areas.

story architecture house vietnamimages © Lonton Studio

 

 

story architecture’s narrow townhouse

 

Story Architecture strategically organizes the functions of the home to overcome the constraints of its compact site in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The ground floor prioritizes practicality with car and motorbike parking. The living area integrates with a worship space, with a skylight bathing the prayer area in natural light. The stairs and elevator are located at the rear of the house to maximize usable space on each floor. The kitchen and dining area is found along a mezzanine which overlooks the ground level and entrance. The second, third, and fourth floors each house a bedroom with a private bathroom with glass walls. Each bedroom opens onto a balcony, each featuring potted plants and unique cut-outs to disrupt the facade and allow for communication between family members on different levels.

story architecture house vietnam
Story Architecture unveils ‘House 3.5 x 17’ in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

 

 

the light-filtering facade

 

The back of the staircase features a screen of wind encaustic tiles, a unique design element common in Vietnam, which Story Architecture incorporates to ensure natural ventilation while offering protection from rain. Glass panels are thoughtfully integrated which allow sunlight to illuminate the space and create ‘windows’ looking up towards the sky. The facade’s atrium walls showcase a sustainable touch — reclaimed bricks salvaged from old houses. These bricks, carefully cut into thin slices, are re-tiled onto the new house. The remaining walls are finished with gray cement, while dark wood paneling infuses the interiors with a rustic and natural character. The warm, earthy tones extend to the flooring and interior elements, contributing to the house’s intimate and inviting atmosphere.

story architecture house vietnam
the house is designed as a relaxing retreat in the city for a family of four story architecture house vietnam
the living room integrates a worship space, with a skylight for natural light story architecture fronts this narrow house in vietnam with stacked terraces
the kitchen and dining areas are located on the mezzanine, offering a view of the entrance

Reference

studio MEMM fronts tree house in brazil with playful solar shading
CategoriesArchitecture

studio MEMM fronts tree house in brazil with playful solar shading

‘tree house’ by studio MEMM, a multigenerational hub

 

On a sloping land in Monte Verde, Brazil, Studio MEMM has completed a tree house as a multigenerational wooden hub connected by a walkway. Covering 18 sqm, the project ‘emerged as a playful idea. In a moment of family expansion, with new grandchildren and nephews, the client understood that the ludic universe of the tree house could add to the experience of staying in Monte Verde, Minas Gerais,’ explains the practice.

 

The design is located close to the main residence and features two volumes positioned among tree branches, emphasizing the sense of playfulness. The first and smaller module spanning 6 sqm serves as a reception area. In comparison, the second 12 sqm volume functions as the primary activity hub, initially displaced to accommodate a torsion of trunks that change position as they gain height. Two walkways support these structures: the first and smaller pathway connects both modules while the second, larger one gently regulates the terrain slope and links the tree house to the main property promenade.

studio MEMM fronts two-volume tree house in brazil with solar shading inspired by leaves
all images © Nelson Kon

 

 

‘Before conceiving the project, it was necessary to choose the tree and understand its context. The client already had in mind options in an area near the lake on the site. Around it, programs such as a pool annex, a deck, a natural pool, and the new house would fence the surroundings of the body of water. The garden, densely populated by numerous tree species, brings privacy and ambiance to each program around the wetland area. In addition, a gentle, continuous slope extends across the land so that the lake’s surroundings are arranged in gentle plateaus,‘ shares the Studio MEMM team

studio MEMM fronts two-volume tree house in brazil with solar shading inspired by leaves

 

 

using glass, brise-soleils, and light for a deeper immersion 

 

All façades of the ‘Treee House’ are clad in glass panels, encouraging a strong visual connection to the outdoors. Bordering the panels are aluminum frames that attach the glass to the façades; thanks to their dark graphite finish, these frames stand out from the wooden structure and emphasize the limit between solid and void. They also contribute to the water drainage on rainy days, preventing puddles from accumulating in the lower parts of the frame and eventually deteriorating the wood. 

studio MEMM fronts two-volume tree house in brazil with solar shading inspired by leaves
a two-volume structure connected by a walkway

 

 

Inspired by the geometries of the surrounding sycamore leaf structures, Studio MEMM fronted the two-volume shed with a CNC-milled brise-soleil, industrially built with glued laminated timber.  Installed from the inside, this architectural element ‘embraces the guest and creates an impression of a dome that contains this entire universe in the interiors, instigating immersion and disconnection from the external world, transporting the user to a shelter that allows them to experience a feeling of unrecognizable enchantment,’ continues the team. 

studio MEMM fronts two-volume tree house in brazil with solar shading inspired by leaves
the brise-soleils evoke the geometry of sycamore leaves

 

 

Lastly, the lighting design by Futura Iluminação highlights both the unique aesthetic and sculptural branches engulfing the ‘Tree House’ without undermining the charm of night-time darkness. ‘The light spots placed on the ground level reveal the trunks and tree tops. The softly lit branches and leaves filter the dark sky above. Inside, light fixtures on the floor illuminate the brise soleil from bottom to top, bringing light, instead of shadow, to the lower part of the geometries. The solution emphasizes the view of the inside from the outside of the house and contributes to the discovery effect of the element in the heights,’ says Studio MEMM. 

studio MEMM fronts two-volume tree house in brazil with solar shading inspired by leaves

 

Reference

OHLAB fronts paseo mallorca 15 in palma with sliding wood panels
CategoriesArchitecture

OHLAB fronts paseo mallorca 15 in palma with sliding wood panels

paseo mallorca 15 by ohlab: a new landmark in palma, spain 

 

Sited in the sun-blessed and tree-lined promenade of Paseo Mallorca, overlooking the Riera water course, this new residential complex by OHLAB is set to become a landmark in the city of Palma, Spain. The building holds an eye-catching and unusual wooden facade design that takes sustainability, energy efficiency, urban integration, quality of materials, and comfort to new levels. Upon entering Paseo Mallorca 15, one is greeted by a green wall of Spanish cane (Arundo Donax), typical of the Mediterranean riverbed, and a nod to the Riera. This section leads onto a multi-leveled inner courtyard, where a cooling oasis of vegetation invites calm and tranquility. The foliage continues upwards until it reaches the landscaped terraces with pools on the building’s fourth, sixth and eighth floors.

 

Complementing the green layer is a gentle waterfall that cascades to the floor below, cooling the area in the summer through evapotranspiration and creating a relaxing sound. The inner courtyard also provides lighting and vegetation to the basement, which houses the residents’ pool, gym, and spa, transforming the complex into a unifying vertical axis linking the vegetation and enabling cross-ventilation through the garden for all apartments. 

 

The residents’ spa area, with walls and floors finished in natural stone, includes a heated indoor pool, steam bath, and changing rooms. Next to the pool is the gym, with large windows overlooking the courtyard garden. Finally, the penthouses at Paseo Mallorca 15 are true urban havens above the city, with landscaped terraces and private mini-pools from where residents can admire the panoramic views of Palma rooftops and the three-lined walk along Riera.

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
all images © José Hevia

 

 

a double-layered facade for year-round comfort

 

Two types of facades define the outside of Paseo Mallorca 15. The first is a solid, gray stone facade found on the perimeter areas, facing the quieter streets where the bedrooms are located; it provides the necessary protection and defines the area containing the private rooms. Meanwhile, on the side overlooking Paseo Mallorca, the sunniest part, is a second skin made of moving wooden slat panels that block out the sun in the summer, making the most of its rays in the winter, and mark the transition between the home and its surroundings. In addition, that double facade is fitted with large windows for residents to take advantage of the views and enjoy the deciduous trees and winter sun.

 

‘It is an organic, permeable, and changing layer, an exterior reflection of its interior, a solar filter to modulate light and shade, optimized through solar studies, which adapts to the different climate needs and draws upon the tradition of Majorcan pergolas and shutters,’ writes the OHLAB team. 

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
the penthouses at Paseo Mallorca 15 with landscaped terraces and private mini-pools

 

 

quality materials meets passive house standards

 

The selection of natural and local materials, highlighting the essence of the Mediterranean, was a critical process for the architects. ‘Finishes have been carefully selected for their quality, taking every detail, texture, and smell into account,’ notes OHLAB. Indeed, a simple palette of fine materials, such as solid doors made of local stone or pieces of aged bronze, characterizes the interiors of the homes at Paseo Mallorca 15. 

 

As modeled through its unique second skin feature, the project was designed following Passive House standards to achieve maximum energy efficiency and a heating/air-conditioning demand of only 15kWh/(m2y). This means a reduction of almost 90% in terms of air heating and cooling requirements compared to a conventional building, resulting in extremely low energy costs for the owner and the planet. In addition, this construction method falls within the nZEB (nearly zero energy building) standard for consumption.

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
second skin facade made of sliding wooden slat panels

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
entrance to the residential complex

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
a green wall of Spanish cane welcomes residents upon entry to the building

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
common pool at the basement level

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
private kitchen area

OHLAB fronts new residential complex in palma with sliding wood panels
the second skin casting soothing shadows onto a living room

 

 

 

project info:

 

name: Paseo Mallorca 15 

location: Paseo Mallorca, Palma, Spain
client: Ramis Promociones | @ramispromociones

architecture & interiors: OHLAB | @ohlab_architecture
OHLAB team: Paloma Hernaiz, Jaime Oliver, Rebeca Lavín, Robin Harloff, Pedro Rodríguez, Silvia Morais, Mercé Solar, Loreto Angulo, M.Bruna Pisciotta, Tomislav Konjevod, José Allona, Claudio Tagarelli, Eleni Oikonomaki, Agustín Verdejo, Luis Quiles

landscape architecture: Jonathan Bell
building engineer: Bartolomeu Tous
structural engineering consultant: HIMA Estructuras 
wooden facade: GRUPO GUBIA
facilities engineering: M&E Engineering
engineering consultants: AMM Technical group
energy efficiency advisor: José Manuel Busquets, Anne Vogt

photography: José Hevia



Reference