Nha Dan Construction Co., Ltd

Cascading House

Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki

CASCADING HOUSE 

Nha Dan Architects

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Nguyen Dinh Gioi

MEP ENGINEERS
Trinh Van Tam

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Do Thanh Tuan

PHOTOGRAPHER
Hiroyuki Oki

AREA
540.0 m2

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The site has the typical challenges of many urban lots in Ho Chi Minh city:

Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki

abutted by tall neighboring houses, small developable area relative to the clients’ program, and compromised access to daylighting and natural ventilation.

Due to the height restriction, the house was pushed 1 level below the ground to accommodate the large program.

In an effort to solve as many issues as possible, we proposed a concrete column system hidden inside the north and south concrete walls that faces the neighbors, acting as the primary structure for the house and freeing up the space in-between.

Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki

These concrete walls provide privacy to the clients and their families and open up the east and west facade for views and outdoor-indoor connection.

Because the column system extends continuously from the basement to the roof, the concrete beams spanning in-between can be moved vertically without any structural concerns.

Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki

This flexibility also meant total discretion to determine the elevations of the upper floors--which we intended to take advantage of.

By convention, the program is stacked floor-by-floor to maximize the usable area of a small lot which could result in monotonous and isolated spaces.

Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki

We wanted to do just the opposite: visually and spatially connecting the different parts of the house together by splitting the floor plates, and then cascading them to create a multi-story atrium.

In this space, life unfolds naturally; once a family member steps out of the bedroom, he/she will be in an all-connected “room”, and in the company of another member, whether that person is on the other side of the atrium or 2 levels above.

In addition to spatial articulation, this atrium brings daylighting down to the basement, and - working with the 2 sunken gardens which are naturally filled with cool air -aids the stack effect by letting the hot air rises to the top. The temperature of the lower floors, as a result, becomes more comfortable.

Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki

From the outside, Cascading House looks solid as a rock that provides sturdy shelter.

The interior, however, feels as porous as a sponge soaking up natural light and air, and brings family members closer together - the qualities that make this house a home.


Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki
Cascading House
© Hiroyuki Oki


Cascading House
Ground Floor Plan
Cascading House
First Floor Plan
Cascading House
Second Floor Plan
Cascading House
Basement Plan


Cascading House
Section


Cascading House
Structure Diagram GIF
Cascading House
Roof Plan


Cascading House
Model 1

Cascading House
Model 2

Nha Dan Construction Co., Ltd
T +84 287 7774343
Nha Dan Construction Co., Ltd
12-13 D. D3, Tan Thuan Dong, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City 72909, Vietnam