The Tile Roof House by K59 Atelier reimagines the Traditional Tropical Vietnamese Home.

The Tile Roof house is a 4 bedroom, 250sqm home which features an expansive terracotta tile roof.

Designed by K59 Atelier, the home, which houses 3 generations of the same family, is located in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and is a modern iteration and evolution of the traditional Vietnamese house. It seeks to recreate the aesthetic of the original tile roof homes which once dominated Vietnamese suburbs, while adding contemporary twists and employing passive solar design techniques to ensure the home can withstand the summer sun and the region’s monsoon season.

Project Description

From the beginning, the settlement is the first conceptual architecture of people, a space that protects people from bad weather conditions. Over the course of hundreds of years, traditional architecture has evolved from the dialogue between human and nature, creating particular features of architecture morphology. Ho chi Minh city is a lowland, has tropical monsoon climate that has two distinct seasons of rain and sunshine. Along with the development, architecture in Ho chi minh city gradually formed an identity of architecture: the architecture fulfill the needs of tropical climate and people lifestyle.

Project locates in the suburban of Ho chi minh city, the house is the place where three generations that live together for a long time. The house is covered by a large roof surface. Roof material is made from terra-cotta, a material associated with the memory of many family generations, it has become a representative of the image of ancient’s city in Vietnam.

There are 5 elements that make strong arguments for the projects:

The Sun

The two: empty volume and full volume represent the two sun’s directions: the West and the East. This solution can prevent direct heat in the bedroom (east side).

The Wind

By using the slope form of the traditional house as a starting point, The idea is the roof shifting and sky room that allows the light and wind flow into to the highest point of the roof. The system of shutter door improves the smooth movement of the air ventilation throughout the house.

The Rain

The hidden water receive (inside the concrete beam) collect most of the water falling to the house. The water can be used for the garden. However, the ending roof can make water falling screen for the owner (the children can see the water as a game to play with)

The Tree

The front yard and backyard create a green linear connection that creates a fresh atmosphere throughout the house.

The People

People are the most important element in the house. Living spaces are linked to redouble the connectivity of generations in the family. For our methodology, healthy family relationships are the beginning step of social sustainability.

In conclusion, modern lifestyle does not mean that we completely separate from nature, but living in harmony with the sun, wind, rain, and trees should be prioritized.  By careful consideration about the typology of the context, the shape of the building connects and intermixes with the surrounding context. 

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