ZAKK and MB'S House / Sawadeesign

Architects

Sawadeesign Studio
Location

Bình Thạnh, Vietnam
Lead Architects

Nguyen Hong Quan, Doan Si Nguyen, Tran Van Nam, Le Dinh Manh, Chau Thuy Phuong Anh, Tran Thanh Xuan
Other participants

Le Thanh Tuan, Nguyen Ngoc Minh Quang, Huynh Huy Tien, Nguyen Thanh Quan.
Area

72.0 m2
Project Year

2018
Photographs

Quang Trần
Manufacturers

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Text description provided by the architects. Zakk&MB's house is a renovation project that we decided to make a light impact on the house to create a much better living space for the new house owners. However, this requires much time to focus on details for the spaces.

Zakk & MB’s House is a renovation project located in a typical residential area of Binh Thanh district, HCMC. Its status quo has a 4X18 m2 site, 4 stories, and was constructed in 15 years ago with a very particular style of Vietnamese narrow house. The existing stair system divided the house into 2 parts: front and back where placed different functions. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on 2 passive design factors: natural lighting and ventilation.

This aims to recreate a better living space for a new young couple and their two dogs. With different house owners, the new functions of the house are much simpler and more efficient. We proposed a gentle and economic change: replacing all concrete walls around stair system with a transparent metal boundary with bamboo pattern. This way increases connection between the front and the back spaces. Maximizing the open door frames in the façade brings more natural lighting into the house. Because of the U-shaped stair system, it reduces vertical lighting into the house. Therefore, we create a natural lighting void in the back of the house. This void brings vertical lighting to a small garden on the second floor.

The signature of this solution is the void in the back of the house. It changes existing dark closed rooms into bright and lively spaces, in the meantime, it solves the ventilation and lighting matters of the house.