Vietnamese architecture firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects has design a green pop-up residence that is fully filled with plants and trees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Dubbed Stepping Park House, the 252-square-metre project is the last addition of its housing series called "House for Trees". The three-storey house is situated in a new residential area of Ho Chi Minh City, with a park on its northern side. 

"It is a rare opportunity to get a site in Ho Chi Minh city, which is adjacent to a green public space. We therefore focused on designing a house which becomes an extension of its environment by integrating the green of the park into the interior space of the house," said the architects.

The architects created a large void by cutting the volume through the three floors, in the diagonal direction of the section. On the ground floor, they arranged more public spaces scattered throughout the void, such as as living room, open to the park and on the top floor, there is a green covered family room. The façade surrounding the void is covered with ivy plants. Louvres provide shadow on the top floor. 

The void incorporates both circulation elements and natural elements like plants and trees, providing the private rooms with additional natural light. It gives a feeling of continuity of the park, to all three floors of the building. The house aims to create an environment similar to a forest, despite being indoors.

The private rooms such as bedrooms are placed in solid volumes. Planting trees in the opening of these volumes blocks direct sunlight, cools the wind and brightens up the interior space with green.

The void that is opened diagonally upwards brings natural ventilation through the house, as a result of the chimney effect. In that way the use of air conditioners is minimized. 

Walking through the space, one will feel the wind moving from the living room to the top floor of the house. Green facade eases the intense sunshine of the tropical climate. The model becomes a precedent for housing in tropical climates.

"The shortage of green space in Vietnam is causing environmental problems such as urban flooding, overheating and air pollution. Presenting a solution to this problem is an urgent challenge that architecture needs to address," said the architects.

VTN architects integrates green as much as possible even in small houses, creating pockets of park in the city, and eventually aim for the "green building" to spread to the world.

Ground floor plan

1st floor plan

2nd floor plan

Roof plan

Section

Section

All images © Oki Hiroyuki 

> via Vo Trong Nghia Architects