Dubbed The Kaleidoscope, this is an office and residential building designed for a mining company in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province by Inrestudio. The building features a unique conical concrete roof and an opening on all sides. Placed amidst the hill and the sea, the structure frames a series of diverse—kaleidoscopic—views in directions and times. And that’s how it gets its name. It is a workspace and housing unit for the employees working at the connected facility operated by Hoang Long Mineral. Read more below at SURFACES REPORTER (SR):
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Resembling a “nón lá”, a traditional farmer’s hat of Vietnam, a large conical roof casts shadows on the entire building. The building is located amidst the sea and a hill in a remote area that leads to hot winds during the dry season and typhoons and floods during the monsoon. The architectural structure of the building offers a pleasant environment for people to live and work in during extreme weather.
The ventilated cavity between the double-layered roof functions as a heat insulator against the sunlight, while the deep eaves enable the central space’s windows to remain open even during the rains. The main function of the building is placed on a floating slab, which keeps the space protected from the ground moisture.
V-Shaped Rooms For Proper Ventilation
Allowing for natural ventilation throughout the building, solid walls are arranged perpendicularly to the roof periphery. These form a series of V-shapes to cut out triangular private rooms open towards the outside while defining a large in-between space that is used for the central office and other gathering functions. The cavernous quality of the central office allows for constantly changing natural light conditions.
Perforated ventilation blocks are common building elements in tropical regions, not only to moderate environmental factors but also casting impressive light patterns. Custom precast ventilation blocks compose the outer surfaces of the triangular volumes to provide privacy to the inner rooms. These fiber-reinforced concrete blocks have larger dimensions than usual and match the grand scale of the surrounding backdrop.
Under a single roof, various functions of the building are organized by seven triangular volumes that define private and common spaces. The inside of the volumes accommodates closed functions such as bedrooms and private offices, while the space between the volumes holds gathering functions such as the central office and parlors.
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From Working to Living
Following the transition from day to night, the main program of the building turns from working to living. The lighting design of this remote building is restrained in order to avoid contaminating the surrounding natural landscape, smoothly bridging day and night. As the day ebbs, the building starts to look like a “big house” filled with warm illumination taking the place of the daytime play of sunlight and shadow.
The project was realized after a 5-year long process in an outlying region of Vietnam. The construction was carried out by a mixed team of experienced builders from Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam, and local “barely experienced” farmer-builders.
The process was characterized by numerous moments of deliberate procedures and impromptu solutions. Not only does the project symbolize the client’s initiative, but it contributes to the evolution of the local workmanship and offers a window into the potential of rural construction.
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