A House in the Sky
In congested and bustling Ho Chi Minh, local firm MIA Design Studio have recently completed a residential project that is deeply connected to nature
Ho Chi Minh is a densely populated, bustling city undergoing a construction boom. As a result, traffic congestion is getting worse and public green spaces, where citizens can enjoy a moment of tranquillity, are rapidly disappearing.
It’s in this context that MIA Design Studio designed the Sky House for a private client. It’s location in the middle of numerous towering high-rises creates the sense that the house is in a valley, and makes air circulation difficult. The client expressed a desire for peace and calmness, so the design team responded by creating a home deeply connected to nature.
The solid facade is punctuated with openings, recesses and extrusions that allow for moments of green throughout. The design approach inside was to divide the house in half — the first half is devoted to the sun, wind, water, trees or simply empty spaces, while the other half is reserved for family activity. In this way, the home is given its own landscape and the architecture is less dependent on its nearby surroundings.
MIA has created a vertical connection between the house and the sky, allowing the entire space to enjoy natural light and passive cooling, and the residents to feel the changes in weather and daylight.
Words / Suzy Annetta
Images / Trieu Chien and Oki Hiroyuki
