Vietnamese architecture firm Nha Dan Architects has designed this checkered residence to provide maximum daylight and natural ventilation as much as possible in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

The house, named Cascading House, is located on a site which has the typical challenges of many urban lots in Ho Chi Minh city - abutted by tall neighboring houses. 

The client's brief included to access to daylighting and natural ventilation throughout the building. Due to the height restriction, the architects pushed the first level of the house below the ground to accommodate the large program. 

In an effort to solve as many issues as possible, the architects 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.

The breathtaking interior layout of the house present different sizes of volumes that can be arranged for different functions. A porous facade on the front is punctuated with large openings that allow terraces towards the street. 

"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," said Nha Dan Architects.

"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." 

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

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. The studio 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. 

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.

Basement floor plan

First floor plan 

Second floor plan

Third floor plan

Roof plan

Section

Project facts

Status: completed
Design: 2017
Construction: 2018
Build area: 540m2

Architects in charge:
Nguyen Dinh Gioi  
Nguyen Thi Hong Lien
Contractor: NhaDan Co., Ltd

All images © Hiroyuki Oki

All drawings © Nha Dan Architects

> via Nha Dan Architects