HÀ NỘI — Two works by Vietnamese architect Võ Trọng Nghĩa won awards at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2017, held at Arena Berlin, Germany from November 15 to 17.

The works were awarded in two categories: Binh House won in House – Completed Buildings and Viettel offsite studio won in Office – Future Projects. The two categories were among 17 honoured at the Festival.

In the category House – Completed Buildings, the Binh House in HCM City is one of a series of “houses” for trees. The project’s aim is to green the urban zone, at a time when the number of green trees per citizen in Việt Nam’s cities is at a low.  

The garden plots on the rooftop are intermixed with large-branched trees to reduce the building’s heat and provide clean and fresh vegetables for daily meals. This serves as a vertical agriculture solution, suitable for urban houses and the Vietnamese way of life.

In the category Office – Future Projects, the Viettel Offsite Studio spans six blocks, including a reception area, a dining room and four meeting studios located on a hillside, next to a lake surrounded by trees. The property is located in a suburb 30km away from Hà Nội, about a 40-minute drive.  

Six V-shaped blocks are randomly arranged connected with an open corridor. These blocks create triangle spaces with two enclosed sides and one side open to views of the lake and trees.

According to Nghĩa, the blocks represent the image of an opening book, with the message of looking towards nature for inspiration.   

Võ Trọng Nghĩa studied architecture at the Nagoya Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo, earning his MA. Back in Việt Nam, he established Võ Trọng Nghĩa Architects in 2006. He developed sustainable architectural designs by integrating inexpensive, local materials and traditional skills with contemporary aesthetics and modern methodologies.

Some of his best-known works are the Việt Nam Pavilion for the Milan Expo 2015, the Farming Kindergarten in the southern province of Đồng Nai and the House for Trees in HCM City.

The WAF is a three-day event for architects and interior design professionals. The world architecture community meets at the event to learn, exchange and be inspired. — VNS