Vietnamese architect wins British award
VietNamNet
Bridge - The work titled "House for Trees" from the Vo Trong Nghia Co.,
Ltd has won the AR House Awards 2014 in the UK, for the world’s best
one-off house, over hundreds of other works submitted from around the
world.
Architect Vo Trong Nghia (right) receives the award from the organizer in London.
The
AR House Awards is an internationally renowned architecture award
granted annually by Architectural Review for the best architectural work
of the year.
Architect Vo Trong Nghia’s "House for Trees" won the
prize for its response to the problem of urban pollution and lack of
trees in big crowded cities like Saigon and Hanoi.
As Vietnamese
city dwellers struggle to squeeze potted plants into their homes,
architect Vo Trong Nghia decided to build a house that functions as a
series of pots for trees.
The house includes five separate
prismatic blocks, each of which contains a tree planted on its roof. The
design beat hundreds of other buildings for the award.
Its design offers an inspiring solution to the city's growing pollution and shortage of green space.
It
was completed this year, on 350 square meters in Ho Chi Minh City's Tan
Binh District and was the first of its kind in Vietnam built with a
bamboo framework.
This was also the first work in Vietnam using bamboo-reinforced concrete.
Vo
Trong Nghia Co., Ltd. won another international award from Wallpaper
magazine in the UK and an award from ArchDaily in the US for his "Binh
Thanh House".
The "House For Trees" from Vo Trong Nghia Co., Ltd:
Bamboo architecture by Vo Trong Nghia
Architect Vo Trong Nghia received 11 international architecture awards of various categories in 2012 with the latest one being ‘the vanguard designer’ by the US Architectural Record for his bamboo works.
He was named one of the top 21 architects of the 21st century by World Architecture News in the same year for well-known bamboo constructions including Wind and Water Cafe, Wind and Water Bar, Eco-resort Pavilion in Viet Nam and Hill Restaurant in Mexico.
Bamboo makes people think about Vietnam’s traditional culture. However, does bamboo material show images of Vietnam and Vietnamese as expected?
Bamboo is planted or naturally grown in any tropical country. It is an important material for many industries. In Vietnam, bamboo appears in the history of struggles against aggressors and in daily activities. Vietnamese use bamboo to make things like chopsticks, baskets and beds.
An artist's impression of the Hill Restaurant in Mexico.
Why did you choose bamboo to build Wind and Water Cafe in the southern province of Binh Duong or Bamboo-Wings restaurant in the northern province of Vinh Phuc?
Bamboo is very readily available and close to the human being. It has been used for making small items and works with simple structure. I have been reckless to choose bamboo as the main material for large and complicated constructions. Things that you see now are just final results after several failures I have had.
Why have your bamboo works caused such an impression to the world of architecture?
Bamboo has, in fact, been a building material in some countries. They use metal joints to connect bamboo stalks together. However this method increases construction costs and is hard to do because it constrains the strengths of bamboo including cheapness and flexibility.
In comparison, my coworkers and I use bamboo nails and bolts as joints, which link the bamboo stalks flexibly and smoothly.
Wind and Water Cafe in the southern province of Binh Duong.
Besides bamboo architecture, are other types of architecture considered Vietnamese architecture?
Absolutely yes, if we can build works suitable with the ground and people in a certain area, it will become the character. Introduction of those works to the world means introduction of our country’s character to the world no matter what the materials are.
Vietnam is an agricultural country. Architects should show the agricultural culture in their works to teach people about agriculture. For instance, we can grow plants on buildings to broaden farming area which has been shrunk.
Bamboo-Wings restaurant in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.
Thus, your norms on green architecture do not stop at bamboo?
That’s right. Bamboo is readily available but difficult to use. At present, there are few large architectural works made from bamboo. There are two reasons for this. The first is due to habit. Investors, architects and contractors are rather hesitant to use bamboo because they have been familiar with steel, iron and concrete for larger structures.
Second is the way of thinking that bamboo must be cheaper than steel and iron.
My thinking is quite different. Bamboo is a material which has several good features like steel and iron. However, we must have an appropriate investment to exploit these strengths and ensure esthetic requirements.
I hope to understand more about bamboo to make it the main material in the so-called green architecture. If this comes true, it will promote the development of the afforesting industry to benefit both the economy and environment.
Do you have any plan for 2013?
I will continue to introduce Vietnam’s green architecture including bamboo structures to the world.
Do you think that your knowledge of bamboo will become habit or a way of thinking, which someone might want to break down someday?
t is necessity. Everything has to move and change, our habit and thinking too. My coworkers and I are not confident enough to affirm that we completely understand the bamboo. However, we are still conducting unceasing studies about this material.
Wind and Water or Bamboo-Wings are just one out of numberless forms of green architecture. I will not be surprised if people build a skyscraper from bamboo someday.
Like many previous works, Vo Trong Nghia once again uses a lake to create a cool space without using air conditioners. This work won many international awards, including the Green Architecture Prize in 2012 and the 2011 IAA Award.
Completed in 2012, this is the house designed by architect Vo Trong Nghia for a family in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province. The house with stone walls creates a feeling like walking in a cave.
Huge but meticulous, curved stone walls assembled from 10cm square stones play a major role in the "game" of light and shadows, creating the subtle beauty to the home at any time of day. The special oval corners, 10cm thick stone blocks, green garden and long corridors surrounding the house create the beauty of this famous work.
In August 2012, architect Vo Trong Nghia completed the conference center of the Flamingo Dai Lai Resort. With bamboo and steel rod structure, the conference room can accommodate 200 people.
Completed in February 2011, the Stacking Green house in HCM City has a total area of approximately 220m2 with four floors. The construction cost is about VND3 billion ($150,000). The work was built in one year.
Kingdom of Trinh Tuong houses
VietNamNet
Bridge - Huu Khanh Commune in Binh Loc District is locally known as the
"kingdom" of Trinh tuong houses, streets of Trinh tuong houses or land
of Trinh tuong houses.
Visitors to Chi Ma Border Gate in
Lang Son Province will be amazed at the streets of old Trinh tuong
(earthen) houses that stretch for three kilometers. Strangely, these
houses are made of clay but they are very solid and firm and have
existed for over 100 years. Many of them have one floor.
Ha Van
Bon, Chief of Kieng Hamlet said: “Nobody knows when Trinh tuong houses
were built in this area. When the Tay ethnic people came here to settle,
there were Trinh tuong houses. Now nobody builds such houses and only
Ha Van Dan knows the secret of building them.”
We visited the
houses owned by Dan, a Tay ethnic man over 80 years old. These earthen
houses stand next to each other stretching more than 30m. They have one
floor and connecting doors.
Asked about the construction of these
houses, Dan became brisk and said: “The Tay people have two techniques
of building the Trinh tuong houses. For the houses totally built with
earth, the clay is selected and compressed into frames to make the
walls. For the second type, moulds are used to make bricks from the clay
to build the houses, but unlike the construction of modern houses, clay
is also used as the glue and mortar.”
Dan also said that
choosing the area to erect the houses was the most difficult. According
to the feng shui of the Tay people, the houses must face south and lean
on the mountain, like the houses of the Kinh ethnic people. Huu Khanh
area has a hilly and mountainous terrain, so it is most appropriate to
build the houses on the hill sides.
Most importantly, the place
where the houses are built must have many trees, preferably old trees,
because according to the long-standing experience of the Tay people such
an area will never erode.
The construction of Trinh tuong houses
with one floor requires very high skills. The most difficult steps are
consolidating the foundation and building the pillars of the houses. For
the foundation, the stones must be tightly placed to ensure its
firmness and force-resistance.
The four power-resistant pillars
at the corners of the house must also be reinforced with stones before
the walls are made. In the past, the steps of selecting the earth and
placing the stones for the foundation and pillars had to be taken by
Dan, because he said if these step were not taken properly, the house
could collapse at any time.
The Tay people said that the walls of a
good Trinh tuong house are waterproof in the rainy season. To make the
walls which are waterproof even on consecutive rainy days, the step of
compressing the clay must be done carefully and meticulously.
For some houses in the past, it took Dan over three months to complete the phase of compressing the clay.
Trinh
tuong houses are warm in winter and cool in summer. They are resistant
to the wind and heat. The sole defect of the houses are that they are
often moldy because of the dampness in the rainy season. To solve this
problem, the Tay people erect a cooking fire in the middle of the house
to warm themselves and prevent the mold. The smoke from the fire clings
to the walls, making the houses look old and mossy.
Huu Khanh
Commune has seven hamlets with over 1,000 Trinh tuong houses which are
still intact. Binh Loc District is devising a project to preserve the
streets of Trinh tuong houses in Huu Khanh Commune to promote cultural
tourism in the near future.
A part of the hamlet of Trinh tuong houses in Huu Khanh.
Trinh tuong houses in Huu Khanh have existed for hundreds of years.
Stones must be tightly placed to make the foundation of Trinh tuong houses.
Hanging some objects on the door to signal to villagers about the host’s long absence from home.
Clay is compressed into frames to make the walls.
The process of mortaring the walls of a Trinh tuong house.
Smoothing the uneven areas on the walls of a Trinh tuong house.
An ancestral altar of the Tay people in a Trinh tuong house.
A corner for cooking in a Trinh tuong house.
Unique architecture of churches in Vietnam
VietNamNet introduces some churches with typical architecture throughout Vietnam.
1. Tra Co church, Quang Ninh province
The
Tra Co Church is located in Tra Co Ward, Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh
Province. The church was built in the 80s of the 19th century and
restored in 1995. The church has hundreds of relieves and an 80-year-old
bell.
2. Phat Diem Church, Ninh Binh Province
How to get there with Vietnamguidebook: http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/09/ninh-binh.html
Pictures: Vietnamguidebook
3. Wooden Church, Kon Tum
This is a unique architectural work which has stood firmly during the
past century. The church is located right in the middle of Kon Tum
town. With the architecture style, an interior decoration mixed between
the local and western culture, the church attracts many tourists inland
and abroad coming to contemplate.
The official name of the church
is the head church of Kon Tum, but people here used to call it wooden
church as almost of this religious construction is made of wood.
Designed in Roman architecture style combined with the shape of house on
stilts of the Central Highlands community, the church includes of five
main parts: the cross tower of 25m height, two roofs – upper and lower –
tiled with slate tiles, the walls, dome and the floor. All are made of
prestigious kinds of wood such as ironwood, rosewood, etc. The most
impressive is that the church includes more than 100 pillars arranged in
four rows: two rows inside the room and two others close to the walls.
All the pillars are equal in shiny black with diameter of 40cm.
4. Mang Lang Church, Phu Yen Province
How to get there with Vietnamguidebook:http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/05/tuy-hoa-phu-yen.html
Pictures: Vietnamguidebook
The church is 35 kilometers north of Tuy Hoa City. It is one of the oldest churches in Vietnam.
The
church was built in 1892 by French missionary Father Joseph Lacassagne
in gothic style. This place was the native village of blessed Andrew of
Phu Yen beheaded in 1644. It is now an important shrine, as Andrew was
declared Patron of the youth. Alexander de Rhodes wrote here his
Cathechismus in octo dies in Latin and Vietnamese (Quốc ngữ) and printed
it in 1651.
5. Buon Ho Church, Dak Lak Province
6. Nha Trang Cathedral
The Nha Trang Cathedral is the largest church in the city of Nha
Trang. This neo-Gothic-style Cathedral was inaugurated on 14 May of the
year 1993 by father Louis Valley. The Nha Trang Cathedral occupies an
area of 760m2 with capacity for 600 people, the Cathedral gardens and
the outdoor range 2500 m2. The Cathedral is entirely made of cement
reinforced and equipped with a colorful stained-glass Windows.
Situated
on a hill about 10 meters high, this hill before the construction of
the cathedral was much higher, however the French used explosive charges
to 500 and level the land and build the access road, reducing the
height of the hill on which sits the cathedral of Nha Trang.
Inside,
the church floors were paved using rocks, but the most striking are the
neon lights adorning the cathedral. We have red neons behind the
crucifix, a form of white lights halo over the statue of the Virgin
Mary, neon pink in the tabernacle and every one of the arches of the
structure, neon blue.
The exterior of the Cathedral of Nha Trang are decorated with numerous statues of saints.
7. Domaine de Marie Church, Da Lat
How to get there with Vietnamguidebook: http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/08/dalat-city-of-spring.html
The Domaine de Marie Church, also called Mai Anh Church or Cherry
Church, is home to the Roman Catholic nuns of the Mission of Charity.
Actually,
that's why many people think that there's a feminine charm attached to
the architecture of the church. Located on a nice hill at 1 Ngo Quyen
St., Ward 6, nearly 0.6 mile southwest away from the city center, it is a
29.6-acre architectural complex consisting of the main church and two
convents.
It offers a scenic panoramic view of the city. It was
built from 1930 to 1943 following the 17th century French style. Before
1975, this is the main abbey with more than 50 female nuns, most of
which are Vietnamese who carry out social activities like opening
orphanages and kindergarten. However, because its architecture is the
harmonious combination of Western art and Vietnamese folk art, the
church definitely stands out from other ones created at the same era.
8. The Cock Church, Da Lat.
How to get there with Vietnamguidebook: http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/08/dalat-city-of-spring.html
The church on Tran Phu Street near the city’s post office is better
known under the name of Nha Tho Con Ga (Rooster Church), because on the
top of its bell tower sits the statue of a rooster.
Historical
documents show that the church started out as a small chapel built by
the French in 1920 and named Hic Domus Est Dei. Two years later it was
rebuilt into a 26-metre-long, eight-meter-wide cathedral with a
16-meter-tall bell tower.
From July 1931 to January 1942 the
church was enlarged again to turn it into the largest cathedral in Da
Lat. Currently, it is 65 meters long and 14 meters wide and boasts a
47-meter-tall bell tower.
The bronze rooster statue on the top of
the tower is 66 centimeters long and 58 centimeters tall. The rooster
replaces the customary displays the cardinal points and is a favorite
animal of the French.
The cathedral’s architecture also recalls
the French influence and mimics European Catholic churches in the Middle
Ages. It has 70 French-made stained glass windows which color the
sunlight falling through them.
The main door of the church, itself located on a hill, looks toward Langbian, the highest mountain in Da Lat.
9. Bao Loc Church, Lam Dong
10. Tac Say Church, Ca Mau Province
11/ Sapa church (Vietnamguidebook's pick)
How to get there with Vietnam guidebook: http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/11/sapa.html
Overview: This cross-shaped stone church was designed and built in 1920s by French. Its one of the symbols of Sapa town.
90% of followers are Mong ethnic people.
Location: in the center os Sapa town, near Sapa market
Time of mass: 19:00PM (weekdays); 09:00 & 18:30PM (Sunday)
Website: www.sapachurch.org (in Vietnamese language only)
Pictures: Vietnamguidebook
12/ Notre Dame Cathedral (Vietnamguidebook's pick)
Address: 01 Paris Commune street ( 01 Cong Xa Paris, next to the end of Dong Khoi street)
Mass time: 9:30AM on Sunday with English service
Brief History:
Designed by architect J.Bourard and constructed in almost 3 years (from 7-10-1877 to 11-4-1880), Notre Dame is one of the oldest churches in Saigon.
Full History
Prior to the construction of the present Notre Dame Cathedral, French colonialists held church services in a wooden church built in 1863 on the banks of Charner Canal.
Charner Canal is today's Nguyen Hue street, which runs parallel to Dong Khoi street. In 1887, the Canal was filled in on order of the Colonial Council.
Termites however took a liking to this wooden church, and services had to be moved to the stateroom of the French Governor's Palace until the Notre-Dame Cathedral could be completed.
With all the construction materials imported from France, the Cathedral took three years to complete (1887 - 1880). The inauguration ceremony was held on Easter Day 1880 in the presence of Le Myre de Vilers, the governor of Cochinchine. And at that time the name of it was State Cathedral because 2,500,000 France used to construct the Cathedral was from the State of France.
The two bell towers either side of the entrance though were only added fifteen years later in 1895.
In 1903 the France set up the bronze statue of Pigneau de Behaine, also known as the Bishop of Adran, leading Prince Canh by the hand. The meaning was to praise the merit of civilization of France. (Prince Canh was the son of Emperor Gia Long)
In 1945 the statue was broken down. But the stone pedestal remained.
In 1959 Bishop Joseph Pham Van Thien had attended the Holy Mother Congress at the Vatican and had ordered a Peaceful Notre Dame statue made from granite. The statue was shiped from Roma to Saigon and on 16th February 1959 it was placed on the stone pedestal which had no stautue since 1945. The next day,
Cardinal
Aganianian chaired the ceremony for the statue, and from that day
forward the cathedral was known as Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Today, the Cathedral is popular for both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Many young couples come here to take wedding photos.
Impressive colour
132 years passed by, the baked bricks of Notre Dame Cathedral are still in bright red colour and there is no green moss on them.
Materials
During its construction, all its red bricks were imported from Marseilles, while the coloured glass windows were made in France’s Chartres Province. Many original tiles are carved with the words Guichard Carvin, Marseille St André France, perhaps stating the locality where the tiles were produced. More recent tiles are carved with the words “Wang-Tai Saigon.”, representing the replacements that have since been made in Saigon after the cathedral was damaged during war.
The Numbers
• The Cathedral is 91m long, 35.5m wide. Its dome is 21m high.
• The two bell towers are 57m. The crosses perched on the top of each bell tower measure an impressive 3.5 m high, 2 m wide, and 600 kg in weight. Therefore from the ground to the top of the cross is 60.5m high.
• There are 2 bells named music notes “La” and “Do” in the right bell tower . “Sol”, “Si”, “Mi”, “Re” are 4 bells in the left tower.
3 largest bells are “sol” with 8,745kg, “si” with 3,150kg and “re” with 2.194kg
All 6 bells which were cast in France in 1879, weigh up to 28.85tons
Its said that if 6 bells are rung at the same time, the bells' echo can be heard in a diameter of 10km
• At the same time, the Cathedral can accommodate to 1,200 people.
• There is no place for candle in the Cathedral. Since the inauguration, it has only used elctrical lights.
• A statue of the Virgin Mary graces the surroundings.
13/ St Joseph Cathedral (Vietnamguidebook's pick)
Pictures: Vietnamguidebook
Address: 40 Nha Chung street
Mass schedule
Weekday: 5:30AM & 6:15PM
Saturday: 5:30AM & 6:00PM
Sunday: 5:00AM - 7:00AM - 9:00AM - 11:00AM & 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Overview: Saint Joseph’s
Cathedral (or Hanoi
Cathedral) was built in 1884 and inaugurated on 23 December 1887. It is
one of the oldest (and least changed ) French architecture works in
Hanoi. See its present pics and the pics taken in 1887.
Designed with domes to resemble the Notre
Dame Cathedral in Paris, this beautiful Gothic cathedral is 64.5m long and 20.5m wide. The twin belltowers are 31.5m high.
The main materials used to build the cathedral were baked bricks
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