Architecture Wednesday: House For Trees

from Vo Trong Nghia Architects:

“Under rapid urbanization, cities in Vietnam have diverged far away from their origins as rampant tropical forests. In Ho Chi Minh City, for example, only 0.25% 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.

'House for Trees.' a prototypical house within a tight budget of 155,000 USD, is an effort to change this situation. The aim of the 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 layers, these “pots” also function as storm-water basins for detention and retention of water, therefore contributing to reduce the risk of flooding in the city when the idea is multiplied to a large number of houses in the future.”