Three Arches – Vietnam

The project is a small private residence for a family with one child in Binh Thanh District, Vietnam close to the center of Hochiminh city. As seen in typical Vietnamese townhouses, this site was so tight that there was almost no garden available, but the clients wanted an open house with a bright, spacious outdoor space.
Designed by Sanuki Daisuke architects, the project aim became how to create a unique outdoor spaces where people can feel closer to nature by taking light and wind in the house in such a tight area. The client wanted only two bedrooms, which was an unusual request, most clients typically ask for more bedrooms.
The studio decided that the two private bedrooms should be lifted to the third floor or higher and allow the first and second floors to become outdoor spaces instead of creating a front garden.
The overall composition of the building is made up of three boxes hollowed out that enclose the study room and living room, similar to building blocks. These hollowed out arch spaces are connected three-dimensionally while shifting. The largest arch space becomes the entrance that form an outdoor living space for the house. This outdoor space, separated from the outside only by a pattered steel mesh which is the entrance for natural elements such as light, rain and wind to penetrate the house.
The big arch space is connected with another arch space including the kitchen and dining space via a folding door. Also, the arch space on the second floor, which has a study area, becomes an open space where the wind flows from the front to the back of the building when the sliding door opens, almost as if it were outside.