THE MICRO TOWNHOUSE IN VIETNAM BY MM++ ARCHITECTS

[via designboom]

This Micro Townhouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam designed by MM++ architects is an architectural response to a paradigm shift in urban housing that favors new large developments over small scale urban revitalisation.

As Vietnam’s economy continues to grow, highrise apartment buildings are proving more desirable than typical small urban alleys. These areas, traditionally known as ‘Hẻm’, are now considered by many people as dirty, crowded, and unsafe. However, these alleys remain a vital component of the city’s street network and the social life of its inhabitants. For this project, MM++ develop an irregularly shaped plot of land in a bid to demonstrate a potential blueprint for revitalizing this particular residential typology.

Ho chi minh city’s central Phu Nhan district is a densely populated neighborhood with a disparate urban fabric. Designed for a family of four, the building itself comprises a total of five storeys, including a mezzanine level and a roof terrace. with the exception of the front façade, where a balcony and a small courtyard create a buffer zone between the public alley and the private house. The project adheres to the plot’s irregular shape.

 

Measuring 32 sqm, the layout of each internal floor is optimized in order to meet the functions required by the brief. Primary living accommodation is found at ground level, with a mezzanine hosting a more secluded lounge. A bedroom for the family’s two children is found at the storey above, with the master bedroom on the subsequent level. Finally the staircase that connects the home — illuminated by a perforated wall — leads to a roof terrace that helps connect the house with the neighboring cityscape. In order to ensure natural light and ventilation, the house remains open with a vertical timber screen ensuring internal privacy.

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