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

Sam Crawford Architects tops Sydney home renovation with “garden oasis”
CategoriesInterior Design

Sam Crawford Architects tops Sydney home renovation with “garden oasis”

A private roof terrace enclosed by greenery features in Hidden Garden House, a Sydney home reconfigured by Australian studio Sam Crawford Architects.

Situated within a conservation zone, the home has been updated by Sam Crawford Architects to brighten its dark interior and transform it into an urban “sanctuary”.

Entryway of Hidden Garden House by Sam Crawford ArchitectsEntryway of Hidden Garden House by Sam Crawford Architects
An open-tread staircase has been added to the hallway

Alterations to the 198-square-metre home’s interior are first seen in its entrance, where a stair with open treads and a white-steel balustrade replaces a solid timber structure that previously restricted light from a skylight above.

Down from the entry hall is a spacious ground-floor kitchen and dining area, which is illuminated by 4.5-metre-high glass openings that lead out to a landscaped patio. The patio is paved with limestone tiles that extend out from the interior.

Renovated kitchen and dining area in Sydney home by Sam Crawford ArchitectsRenovated kitchen and dining area in Sydney home by Sam Crawford Architects
A curved concrete roof features in the kitchen

“By extending the ground floor finishes through the full-width doors into the rear yard, the garden and high-level green trellises at the rear of the site form the fourth wall to the rear wing,” studio director Sam Crawford told Dezeen.

“They create a sense of enclosure that draws the occupant’s eye up to the expanse of the sky rather than surrounding suburbia.”

Bathroom interior at Hidden Garden House in AustraliaBathroom interior at Hidden Garden House in Australia
Angled timber screens and greenery ensure privacy for the bathroom

A concrete ceiling in Hidden Garden House’s kitchen curves upwards to help draw in the winter sun and provide summer shading, while operable clerestory windows allow natural ventilation.

Above, this curved ceiling forms a sloped roof terrace filled with plants, which is situated off the main bedroom on the upper floor.

An ensuite bathroom, also lined with limestone floor tiles, has expansive openings offering a scenic yet private bathing experience enabled by angled timber screens and the terrace’s greenery.

“The rolling green roof serves as a visual barrier to the surrounding suburb, whilst allowing the occupants to occupy their private garden oasis,” added Crawford.

Living space interior of Hidden Garden House in SydneyLiving space interior of Hidden Garden House in Sydney
White walls and wooden furniture feature throughout the interior

Hidden Garden House’s consistent material palette of bright white walls and wooden furniture ties its living spaces together, while decorative square tiles line both the kitchen and bathrooms.

Curved details, such as the patio’s shape and the kitchen island and splashback, also feature throughout.

Terrace of Hidden Garden House in Sydney designed by Sam Crawford ArchitectsTerrace of Hidden Garden House in Sydney designed by Sam Crawford Architects
The home aims to be an urban “sanctuary”

Other alterations that were made to improve Hidden Garden House’s layout include the relocation of entrances to the ground floor laundry room and bathroom.

Elsewhere, Sam Crawford Architects has also created a restaurant topped with an oversized steel roof and a bridge modelled on the curving shape of eels.

The photography is by Tom Ferguson.


Project credits:

Architect: Sam Crawford Architects
Builder:
Toki
Structural engineer: Cantilever Engineers
Civil & hydraulic engineer: Partridge
Acoustic engineer: Acoustic Logic
Heritage consultant: Damian O’Toole Town Planning
Quantity Surveyor: QS Plus
Landscape design: Gabrielle Pelletier, SCA
Roof garden supplier: Fytogreen Australia

Reference

Eight airy terraces and balconies that become extensions of the interior
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight airy terraces and balconies that become extensions of the interior

From a plant-enclosed terrace in Mexico to a large rooftop garden set beneath a metal pergola in Tokyo, Dezeen’s latest lookbook highlights eight interiors with impressive balconies and terraces.

Each of these balconies and terraces is accessed via glazed walls or floor-to-ceiling glass and provides their homes with not only a physical but also a visual extension of the interior that merges the in- and outdoors.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, gallery interiors, and garden swimming pools.


Terrace With a House by the Lake by UGO
Photo is by Alex Shoots Buildings

Terrace With a House by the Lake, Poland, by UGO

This summer holiday home was created by Poznań architecture studio UGO and is located near a lake in Wielkopolska, Poland.

From the home’s main living area, a large 120-metre-long wooden terrace is accessed via expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors and double-height glazed walls. The studio described the terrace as an additional room for the home.

Find out more about Terrace With a House by the Lake ›


House in Xalap by Lopez Gonzalez
Photo is by César Béjar

House in Xalap, Mexico, by Lopez Gonzalez

House in Xalap is a 528-square-metre residence that was built on a slight slope. The exterior of the home was rendered in cement which was painted black to mimic the look of a rock formation.

From a dining area, which was clad in black marble and wooden panels, maroon-framed glass doors lead out to a volcanic stone-tiled patio that is walled by lush and tropical planting and geometric sculptures.

Find out more about House in Xalap ›


Exterior of Espirit House in Tokyo by Apollo Architects & Associates
Photo is by Masao Nishikawa

Espirit House, Japan, Apollo Architects & Associates

A large roof terrace tops Espirit House in Tokyo, which was designed by Apollo Architects & Associates. The terrace is covered by a metal pergola that transforms the open-air space into an additional room of the home.

The terrace is accessed on the third floor of the home from behind a fully glazed wall. A sectional sofa, dining table and large planters filled with local shrubbery decorate the terrace.

Find out more about Espirit House ›


Photo of Villa KD45 by Studio Symbiosis
Photo is by Niveditaa Gupta

Villa KD45, India, by Studio Symbiosis

This concrete home in Dehli was designed by Studio Symbiosis for a large family of eight. As a result of thinly framed floor-to-ceiling windows and the home’s exterior concrete floors carrying through to the interior, the boundaries of the indoors and outdoors are blurred.

Studio Symbiosis also nestled small terraces between both of the home’s floors. Decorative seating provides residents with relaxing outdoor areas that are shaded from the Indian sun.

Find out more about Villa KD45 ›


Interior of Rescobie Pavilion by Kris Grant Architect
Photo is by Dapple Photography

Rescobie Pavilion, Scotland, by Kris Grant Architect

A cantilevered balcony wraps around the exterior of the two-storey Rescobie Pavilion in rural Scotland. The structure was created as a free-standing extension of a nearby home so that its residents could immerse themselves in the landscape.

The structure was topped with a mono-pitched roof that orients the interior to the landscape, and is enveloped in expanses of glass that provide the pavilion with unobstructed panoramic views of the hamlet.

Find out more about Rescobie Pavilion ›


835 Hightstreet by Carr
Photo is by Rory Gardiner

835 High Street, Australia, by Carr

At 835 High Street, a residential apartment block in Melbourne, Australian architecture studio Carr looked to play with feelings of openness within the interior.

It added large wrap-around floor-to-ceiling windows that lead out to covered balconies, which aim to complement and juxtapose the relationship between the interior and exterior. The interiors feature a paired-back scheme and were decorated with designer furniture, including a Mario Bellini Camaleonda sofa.

Find out more about 835 High Street ›


Moenda House by Felipe Rodrigues arquiteto
Photo is by Pedro Vannucchi

Moenda House, Brazil, by Felipe Rodrigues

This split-level home in southeastern Brazil was designed by Brazilian architect Felipe Rodrigues and has undisrupted views of the Mantiqueria mountains.

The ground floor of the home contains shared living spaces, which have an open-plan design. The open-plan kitchen, living and dining room are surrounded by a cantilevered wrap-around balcony that is covered in grey tiles similar to those used throughout the interior.

Find out more about Moenda House ›


Ying'nFlo Hong Kong by Linehouse
Photo is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Ying’nFlo, Hong Kong, by Linehouse

An angular balcony protrudes from the interior of the Ying’nFlo guesthouse in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The guesthouse was designed by Chinese interior design studio Linehouse, which looked to create the feeling of an inviting home.

One of the rooms at the guesthouse features a neutral palette and incorporates hand-rendered walls, timber panelling and linen cabinetry. From here, glass sliding doors lead out to a beige tiled balcony that was fitted with a built-in bench and an olive tree at its centre.

Find out more about Ying’nFlo ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, gallery interiors, and garden swimming pools.

Reference