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Architect Firm: Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

Date: April 2014.

Location: Tanbinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Photographs: Hiroyuki Oki.

Principal architects: Vo Trong Nghia, Masaaki Iwamoto, Kosuke Nishijima (3 principals).

Architects: Nguyen Tat Dat.

Contractor: Wind and Water House JSC.

GFA: 226 s.q.m. (226.50)

Footprint: 111.66 s.q.m.

Site area: 474.32s.q.m.

House for Trees

Under rapid urbanization, cities in Vietnam have diverged far away from their origins as rampant tropical forests. In Ho Chi Minh City, as an example, only 0.25% area of the entire city is covered by greenery. Over-abundance of motorbikes causes daily traffic congestion as well as serious air pollution. As a result, new generations in urban areas are losing their connections with nature.

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“House for Trees”, a prototypical house within a tight budget of 155,000 USD, is an effort to change this situation. The aim of project is to return green space into the city, accommodating high-density dwelling with big tropical trees. Five concrete boxes, each houses a different program, are designed as “pots” to plant trees on their tops. With thick soil layer, these “pots” also function as storm-water basins for detention and retention, therefore contribute to reduce the risk of flooding in the city when the idea is multiplied to a large number of houses in the future.

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Architect Firm: Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

Date: April 2014.

Location: Tanbinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Photographs: Hiroyuki Oki.

urbanNext (May 12, 2025) House for Trees. Retrieved from https://urbannext.net/house-for-trees/.
House for Trees.” urbanNext – May 12, 2025, https://urbannext.net/house-for-trees/
urbanNext January 5, 2016 House for Trees., viewed May 12, 2025,<https://urbannext.net/house-for-trees/>
urbanNext – House for Trees. [Internet]. [Accessed May 12, 2025]. Available from: https://urbannext.net/house-for-trees/
House for Trees.” urbanNext – Accessed May 12, 2025. https://urbannext.net/house-for-trees/
House for Trees.” urbanNext [Online]. Available: https://urbannext.net/house-for-trees/. [Accessed: May 12, 2025]

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