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Architects: MW archstudio
- Area: 400 m²
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:Hiroyuki Oki
Text description provided by the architects. Located in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Thao Ho Home Furnishings is a showroom project which offers solid wood furniture for residential buildings, resorts and other types of buildings.
The building is close to a noisy environment, densely populated area and many polluted emissions from motor vehicles with very large volumes in Ho Chi Minh City - a typical environment existing in urban areas of Vietnam. There are many projects in this area, or in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and in Vietnam in general, always use a lot of lighting and air conditioning systems for the exhibition space.
Hence, those projects have created a consequence of consumption of electricity; heat radiation and energy sources discharged into the environment are enormous. What is more, they misunderstand the conception of exhibition space; most of the above mentioned projects have not selected the best solution for the problem of functioning and aesthetic characteristics for showroom projects – so they always make mistake in functioning, density in display, and lighting showcase.
Through research and careful consideration, MW archstudio gave a specific solution to overcome most of the above mentioned misconceptions as a specific example for this particular kind of projects. Also, we clarified the right meaning of "green building” concept that actualizes the responsibility to protect the environment through architecture.
Thao Ho Home Furnishings showroom does not use lighting but takes advantage of natural sunlight as the main lighting source during the day. This lighting effect is still effective even when it is cloudy or rainy – that is when the sunlight is at its weakest.
Through a technical solution arranging lighting interstice continuously on the roof, and 3 large atrium spaces in the layout. At night, LED Spotlight system is used to ensure functional requirements, aesthetic characteristics of the exhibition space, and also environmental friendly. Through the fact that from 9am to 5pm, ¾of the time- the building does not use lights, from 5pm to 8pm, ¼ of the time- used LED Spotlight, which is highly effective in electricity saving and environmentally friendly.
The building has natural ventilation and still minimized the noise and dust from the surrounding atmosphere. Thanks to the shutter system in gables and sliding roof in the atriums. Some spaces have arranged ceiling fans (these fans consume very little power levels) to provide additional support for the airflow convection in case there is no wind.
And air conditioning systems were calculated for the special place with the minimum amount (2 single air-condition machines in a total area of 400 m2 of used floor), this air-conditioning system is used only as a backup solution in the worst case by the impact of surrounding climate. From then, the project again saves a significant source of electrical energy and reduces emission sources to the environment, while limiting the adverse impact on the health of users within this project.
This project is designed with interchangeable usage, it can be used for many different functions in the future (cafe, restaurant, bar, exhibition space for many other products, not just furniture ... or even housing). These interchangeable usages can prevent building new projects for different uses in the future, thereby it can reduce the infringement, expansion, getting more of natural land and directly impacting on the environment.
Also the project used recycled materials from industrial waste products such as cladding Prima systems, with high durability. The bearing steel frame structure systems combined with above mentioned material with simple assembling details, reduced construction time and increased cost improvement. Especially, this framework can be recycled for future usage.
Thao Ho Home Furnishings also arranged green trees indoor as a filter air solution to support a positive impact on the health of users. With smart design solutions in placing objects on display, MW archstudio increase the number of products on display without obstructing operational traffic and floor density.
This space can also serve some of community activities in the future such as religious exchanges, seminars, events...
