kim liên city
bùi quý sơn
kim liĂŞn city volume 2 registration
series 1 the framework 011 series 2 the ground 039 series 3 the hallway 077 series 4 the residents 095 series 5 identifications 137
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Kim LiĂŞn City
series 1 the framework 011
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My approach to the project is founded on the discussion of locality and its loss throughout rapid urbanisation. Therefore, the understanding of what constitutes the uniquely “local” character of Hanoian architecture and urban living is, for me, crucial. As a first step into the “inside out” investigation and design process, I wish to present here the “framework” from which the project will evolve. It results from an attempt at theorising my personal knowledge of the city into an architectural concept to be used for observation, analysis and further interventions.
The framework is comprised of 4 elements suggesting different scales and aspects of domestic architecture in Hanoi. On one hand, each and every of them –the ground, the roof, the tiger cage, the water tank– manifests itself with a distinct physical language. On the other hand, they all stand for greater culturally rooted beliefs and practices. The following selection of 36 photos –9 for each element– aims to visually provide insights to the actual context, and to set the ground for any development that comes subsequently.
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The ground is the frame of reference for Hanoians. Indeed, the city did not have any building exceeding the height of 6 to 8 storeys up until the late 1990s, and still maintains a relatively horizontal living. The ground is the frame for all activities, from eating to sleeping to moving around. It also represents the collectivity and the community-based aspect of living in Hanoi.
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The roof symbolises protection and security –vital criteria for any human habitat. In Hanoi, people use the roof to create physical shadows and protect themselves from the rather aggressive sunlight during most of the year. However, their relation with the roof is contradictory. In fact, despite being in constant need of the latter, Hanoians avoid or even reject direct interactions with it. The last floor (right under the roof) is rarely meant to be a living area, and usually used for drying clothes or gardening in multi-storey townhouses. As opposed to the highly praised concept of rooftop terraces in Western cultures, the roof is purely functional in Vietnamese architecture.
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The tiger cage stands for the general idea of in-between spaces which create dialogs and a certain balance between the private residence and the city. It is a distinct trait of the KTTs (KHU TẬP THỂ, literally meaning “collective housing area”) but illustrates a wide range of similar interpretations such as balconies, loggias or verandas. Most importantly, it embodies the dynamic growth of Hanoi and the intuitiveness of its inhabitants.
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The water tank represents the core of Hanoian domestic architecture. It is a functional element which has become an integral part of the building, and can be seen on the roof of any house or housing block. It depicts the symbolic shadow within the house, its depth, its vulnerable side to be hidden – something abstract, profound, and least accessible.
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series 2 the ground
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While the 4 elements are all equally essential in constituting the character of urban living in Hanoi, the ground stands out to be the most prevalent factor in creating the city’s livelihood and liveliness. It gathers people and activities, but also divides them: everything is intertwined right on the city’s surface. Therefore, the relation between the inhabitants and the ground is inseparable from the development of a housing project.
Through this series of photos, I wish to explore the overlapping layers of richness of the built environment and human practices on the ground of Kim LiĂŞn City. The images are presented in duos so that their similarities and differences are confronted and highlighted. They are also sequenced in ascending order of the degree of privacy assigned to the space, from public to collective to private. Nonetheless, this is not an extensive inventory but only a glimpse of all the activities that exist, occupy and animate the urbanscape of KLC.
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traffic on pham ngoc thach street to the northwest border of klc
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the main entrance of klc from pham ngoc thach street
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a fruit vending stand, next to a car parked on the sidewalk
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a barber stand at the foot of a tree (between b5 & b6)
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a clothing shop (on hoang tich tri street)
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a flower shop (on luong dinh cua street)
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a tea stand under the entrance arch
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a street food restaurant (between b8 & b9)
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a tea stand with reclaimed sofas (between b8 & b9)
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a cafĂŠ (b10, on pham ngoc thach street)
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a gathering of bird collectors at a cafĂŠ (between b8 & b9)
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people eating pho at a food stand (between b8 & b9)
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a plastic housewares vending bike
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a motorbike carrying cans for delivery
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a woman collecting plastic bags (by bike)
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a plastic footwear vending cart
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a rooster at a convenience store (b8)
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a sim card shop (b4, on dao duy anh street)
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a motobike parking area (between b6 & b7 bis)
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a scooter parked in front of a building block (between b5 & b6)
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courtyard of the martyrs (between b5 & hoang tich tri street)
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courtyard of uncle ho (between b8 & hoang tich tri street)
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a merry-go-round (between b5 & b6)
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a playground for children (between b8 & b9)
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horizontal bars (between b8 & b9)
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a concrete ping pong table (between b11 & b12)
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a playground for children (between b12 & b13)
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an outdoor gym (between b12 & b13)
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filled garbage trucks
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used beehive briquettes
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a granite bench between thrown out furniture (between b9 & b10 bis)
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clothes drying over plants and trees (between b9 & b10 bis)
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concrete benches (between b6 & b7 bis)
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plastic chairs (between b12 & b13)
series 3 the hallway
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The hallway acts as an inbetween element allowing dialog between the private residential space and the collective sphere in Kim LiĂŞn City. Despite the buildings having gone through major transformations, the hallway still somehow maintains its original design and materiality while adapting to new spatial configurations and uses.
Through this inventory of hallways in the B9 block (selected building for the Medium scale design development), I intend to expose the diversity as well as the consistency of this particular space in which we can observe the traces of evolution, and evaluate its role and value in the present situation. Especially, the ambiguous status of the hallway –whether it is private, collective, public, or undefined– suggests rich potentials to exploit while imagining the future of KLC.
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stairs 1
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northwest
stairs 2
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stairs 1 floor 2
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left
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right
stairs 1 floor 3
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left
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right
stairs 1 floor 4
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left
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right
stairs 2 floor 2
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left
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right
stairs 2 floor 3
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left
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right
stairs 2 floor 4
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left
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right
series 4 the residents
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The main reason for such a strong and persevering vernacular force in Vietnamese architecture is the indigenous inhabitants and their power of transforming a space –or any space– into specifically their own. Indeed, there is a deeply rooted sociocultural resistance among the residents to all rational changes that are made upon their environment and way of living. They confront the given constraints by reappropriating them while also adapting to them.
It is, therefore, important to observe the residents of Kim Liên City and their behaviour, as they represent the major factor which – dynamically– contribute to the transformations of the area. In this section, I have chosen to introduce 37 drawings –scaled 1 to 20– of actual inhabitants observed and captured in situ. I look forward to transmitting the diversity and vibrance of the reality while using a somewhat abstract graphic language.
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series 5 identifications
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As part of the site investigation, the series of maps presented in this last chapter identifies the elements assessed to be highly critical for the Large scale development of the project. It is made exclusively on an area of 60,000 square meters –known as Zone B, the first section of Kim Liên City built in 1962 to shelter families of rather high-rank personel from state-owned enterprises.
The maps address issues such as functional programming and capacity, spatial organisation and density, or circulation and accessibility. All drawings are scaled 1 to 2000.
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aerial view
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footprint
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– i ii iii iv v
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immediate surroundings
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project area
traffic and access
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access to housing blocks main streets with access to all vehicles internal streets for 4- and 2-wheel vehicles internal streets for 2-wheel vehicles
legality of constructions
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legally licensed initially illegal, now tolerated
construction timeline / main blocks
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ca. 2013 ca. 2010 ca. 2006 ca. 1984 1962
construction timeline / extensions
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2010-2016 2000-2010 1985-1990
building functions
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housing housing + trade on ground floor trade administration + maintenance
land uses
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trade activities motorbike parkings sports facilities relaxation spaces
occupation and frequentation of collective courtyards
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less occupied and frequented
most occupied and frequented
“kim liên city” transformations of a post-war subsidy-era collective housing area in hanoi bui quy son master’s thesis, spring 2017 under the supervision of tom mose the royal danish academy of fine arts schools of architecture, design and conservation institute of architecture and design spatial design, perception and detail