HÀ NỘI —Two Vietnamese architecture companies won special mention by the International Union of Architects (UIA) for their "Friendly and Inclusive Spaces".

H&P Architects won the award with its BE (Bamboo & Earth) Friendly Space located in Quảng Ninh Province. Võ Trọng Nghiã Architects  won the award for its “Farming Kindergarten”.

The awards recognise and promote inspiring examples of inclusive design – from buildings and public spaces to research. The winners were announced last week from among 76 entries from 28 countries. Only 14 were awarded.

H&P Architects have used a combination of bamboo and earth in a series of projects to create "a friendly space in suffocating urban areas. Friendly Space presents an open space for the community, with importance being attached to aspects of culture and art (exchanges, exhibitions, cuisines, ..)".

Located in the centre of Mạo Khê town, the 220sq.m Friendly Space is made of locally available friendly materials, with the participation of local builders. The entire project is made of earth-rammed walls  in a zigzag pattern that spares valuable green spaces for common use. These open spaces are also connected to each other through randomly placed windows. Above the used space is a double layer bamboo-made roof to regulate light and air as well as to blur the boundary between the interior and exterior, the architecture and landscape.

The objective of the BE Friendly Space is to help raise social awareness of the need for friendly spaces for communities in the context of the urbanisation and concretisation gradually suffocating Mạo Khê - one of the most populous towns in Viet Nam.

“Farming Kindergarten” was built on a total area of 3,800sq.m for children of workers in an adjacent shoe factory in Hòa An Ward, Biên Hòa City, Đồng Nai Province. Inspired by the triple-ring grass, a group of architects from Võ Trọng Nghĩa Architects created a green, sustainable work which is harmoniously combined with nature and saves energy.

The project is characterised by a triple-ring green roof that encloses three secure playgrounds, with 70 per cent of its area covered by green trees. With 18 classrooms and functional rooms for music, arts, healthcare, kitchen, exercise and games, the school is capable of housing 700 children, aged two to five.

Besides highlighting the harmony with nature, the project also helps save energy. All rooms, covered by green liana, have two-sided windows which maximise the cross ventilation and natural lighting. Many energy-saving solutions were used, such as solar energy panels, a water filtering machine and the use of recycled wastewater to water trees.

In February this year, Farming Kindergarten was nominated as one of the top 30 architectural designs by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for its harmony with nature and energy savings.

The winning UIA entries and all shortlisted entries will be exhibited on the UIA Architecture for All Work Programme Stand at the UIA Congress in Seoul from the September 3 to 7 this year.— VNS