Four Vietnam buildings shortlisted for international design awards

Four buildings in Vietnam are among 53 shortlisted for the 2019 Dezeen Awards instituted by the London-based online architecture, interiors and design magazine.

Of the four buildings shortlisted by the board of editors of Dezeen, three – two residences and an educational institute – were designed by the award-winning Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

The fourth, a factory and administrative building in Hanoi, was designed by India’s Varsha and Deepak Guggari Associates.

The shortlisted projects will vie for different categories of the annual awards that seek to recognize the world's best architecture, interiors and design projects, as well as the individuals and studios with the most impressive output.

Two of the shortlisted buildings in Vietnam – the Ha House and the Stepping Park House – are in Ho Chi Minh City; and the other two – the Viettel Academy and the Star Engineers Factory and Administrative Building – are in Hanoi.

The Ha House has a swimming pool in the living room. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

The Ha House, built this year in an emerging residential area a 15-minute drive from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, is shortlisted for the urban house category. The house’s special features include a swimming pool in the living room, and inhouse gardens that link living spaces for a three-generation family.

The special house is a three-level brick building built on a narrow 7x20 meter piece of land.

The Stepping Park house incorporates plants from a nearby park into its interiors. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

The Stepping Park house, another nature-focused project from Vo Trong Nghia Architects, is also shortlisted in the urban house category.

"Vo Trong Nghia Architects decided to integrate the greenery from the park with the domestic space, aiming to strengthen the relationship between the house and its surroundings. A large diagonal void through all three floors of the building and tropical trees feature in the common areas," Dezeen noted.

An aerial view of the Viettel Academy Educational Center in Hanoi. Photo by Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

Viettel Academy, an educational institute within a training campus in Hanoi, has been shortlisted for the civic building category.

The campus provides short-term accommodation and training courses for the staff of Vietnam’s leading telecom firm, Viettel.

Also designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, the school has been designed with the intention of optimizing both views of surrounding nature and the microclimate of the school, giving residents access to the outdoors as often as possible.

"The skywalk surrounding the buildings gives residents a view as they study, but it also shelters the lower level from rain and excessive sunlight," Dezeen said.

The façade of the Star Engineers Factory and Administrative Building in Hanoi. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

The last Vietnamese nominee is the Star Engineers Factory and Administrative Building, shortlisted for the Business Building category. The 3,700-square-meter campus contains both offices and a factory for Star Engineers.

According to Dezeen, the project "explores the rustic and discreet material palette aligning the client requirements to site context.

"The building has a simple concrete form with a long colorful perforated metal screen adorned with greenery. The setup of adjoining corporate office and factory spaces involves a series of courtyards interwoven with the workspaces, which offer views of greenery and water," the magazine noted.

This year's Dezeen Awards nominations will be judged by an international panel of 75 leading figures from the architecture and design world.

By Nguyen Quy / VnExpress