Thai Phien is the oldest agricultural area of Da Lat which currently has about 260 hectares of greenhouses specializing in the production of flowers. Thai Phien’s cut flower products are favored by the market because of their variety of types, richness in colors, quality assurance, etc.
- Issues: The area suffers from problems of flooding and erosion due to extensive greenhouse farming, preventing permeability of the soil and gradually creating larger water bodies in creeks and the valley.
- Goals: The local goverment aims to enhance the 68-year-old Thai Phien’s flower village with tourism based on the principle of sustainable development and relocate greenhouses that covered 80% of the land.
- Results: Approved by the local people commitees.
- Contribution: Designed landscape routes, viewpoint decks, public spaces and cemetary using Autocad and axonometric views; assisted in landscape and planting strategies by analysing local ecology and researching suitable seasonal plants.
- The first strategy: leading to the success of the project is to create and develop an identity image of Hoa Thai Phien village. Changing agricultural farming methods: Gradually changing the greenhouse farming space in urban areas, restoring natural landscapes and developing tourism economy. Branding Thai Phien Flower Village to become an attractive international destination.
- The second strategy: Bringing forest spaces into urban areas, bringing Thai Phien in particular and Da Lat in general towards the goal of “City in the forest - forest in the city”. Bringing Thai Phien into an attractive destination with a rich natural landscape, where annual festival activities take place in combination with the culture of the traditional flower village for generations.
Phien Cemetary
School
Hon Bo Temple
Urbanagriculture
Ring
Main Road
Interlocal Road
Pedestrian Pathway
AGRICULTURE EXHIBITION - FLOWERS
The demonstration farm specializes in growing flowers and fruit trees. Prominent species of lavender, hydrangea, lily,... The natural walkway between the flower beds serves both production activities and can also be used as a place to take pictures and perform fashion for tourists. Flowers are considerated for outdoor flowers exhibition in every season and festival throughout the year. Greenhouses are placed in rows according to the winding shape of the terrain. The wooden lookout pavilion, with its sweeping views of the area, attracts many visitors and creates several activities for the place.
Zone 2A
Demonstration of agriculture area specializing in growing flowers and fruit trees which reduces greenhouse planting, promotes outdoor exhibition, and contributes to local economy.
Zone 2B
Stream area planted with water purification plants, creating rainwater spring in rain season.
Zone 2C
Commercial - service area (cafe, restaurant, homestay...)
THE PUBLIC SPACE, ENTERTAINMENT
The public space of the neighbourhood is designed to face the exhibition area, creating the view to the sweeping flower field across the water.
THAI PHIEN CEMETARY
The cemetary is reorganised for easier access and to increase aesthetic aspect for the flower village.
The campus locates at the new high-tech and educational urban area: Quy Hoa, south of Quy Nhon city. Planning as the new innovative hub for FPT solfware employees and freshers, the campus must represent its globally-recognized environment, high standard facilities, symbolic FPT identity as well as sustainbility and strength the corporate strategy of FPT: “Respect-Innovation-Exemparity - Multicutural experience”.
- Issues: The site is located in a valley, in a flood-prone area next to the sea.
- Goals: The client aimed to build a smart campus in a tropical environment with flexible integration of exchanges and rapid internal movements (between blocks and buildings) and preserve existing landscape assets.
- Results: Approved by the goverment and client; the project started the building process in 2023 and is still ongoing. The project is expected to bring Quy Nhon to become the centre of AI in South East Asia.
- Contribution: Site analysis (location, flood calculations, and ecology) using data collected from GIS, local authorities, and digital newspapers; designed landscape routes, landscapes in the campus and dormitories using AutoCAD and axonometric views; assisted in landscape strategies and water retaining calculations using Excel and mathematics equations.
Located in suburban of Nha Trang city, around the Lang Nhot lake, this is a rare place that retains the wild nature and has great potential for tourism.
Oriented to become the first landscape architecture teaching and experiment center in Vietnam, combining high-class accommodation for learners, by minimizing the impact on the existing natural landscape and takes Lang Nhot Lake as the center, the buildings are built with low density, facing the lake and are almost invisible from the main road.
With the natural landscape of mountains and lakes, exploiting the view direction is essential. The architectural works are placed on the hillside embracing the terrain, creating a layered view, so that in any area, visitors can admire this poetic and charming landscape.
- Results: The project has been approved and handed over to the client.
- Contribution: Participated in designing the masterplan. Planned the Resort, Gateway and coordination area, and BOH & Warehouse area using AutoCAD and Sketchup. Designed landscape routes, public spaces of the instititute and landscapes of the resorts using axonometric views; assisted in landscape and planting strategies.
Lighting with brighter urban street lights for major traffic routes. The buggy roads are illuminated with lower lights. For walkways, use a less brighter type of light and create scattering bright spots on the path.
EA NHAI LAKE ECO TOURISM, LEISURE &
INTEGRATED GOLF
KRONG PAK DISTRICT, DAK LAK
The land is located in Krong Pak district, Dak Lak,18km east of Ban Me Thuot city. The province’s main economy is mainly based on the production and export of agricultural and forest products, with a large water surface stretching along the coffee gardens which can be potential for ecotourism.
Issues: The lake used to be an ideal tourist destination, a cultural and sports meeting place with volleyball competitions. The site located in the area of coffee plantations attracting many tourists and locals in the early years of construction. However, the sharp drop in coffee prices and many other factors were not as expected. Not enough expenses to maintain operations, the service area has been gradually deteriorated and is no longer in operation.
Goals: The project aims to promote local identity by creating a touristic and leisure destination at heart of the Dak Lak highlands, highlighting the local culture, nature, and farmland products; offer a showcase architecture and spatial solution based on local tradition knowledge and ecology; and respect the natural landscape and ecosystem along with the identity and economy of the inhabitants of Dak Lak.
-Results: The project was approved by local people commitees.
-Contribution: Site analysis (local cultures, economy, ecology); proposed the strategies, designed the master plan and did urban design of the project; assisted in landscape strategies.
- Issues: Saddleworth Moor, an ancient peatland known for its natural and unique beauty, suffered extensive damage from a devastating wildfire in 2018. The fire was driven by global warming, which triggered climate change and extreme weather, including a heatwave during the hottest week of summer 2018. This spike in temperature raised soil heat levels, leading to a significant decline in sphagnum moss. Another wildfire is anticipated in the foreseeable future.
- Goals: Restore the peatland habitation to its healthy state by rewetting the peatland with hydraulic structures and planting strategies; reintroduce species into the peatland; and prepare the peatland to be resilient to the effects of climate change.
- Technology used: CNC Machines, 3D Printer, Soil Test Kit.
Wildfire Date Map Pathway
25/06/2018
26/06/2018
27/06/2018
28/06/2018
29/06/2018
Moderate - High Severity Zone
Moderate - Low Severity Zone
High Severity Zone Low Severity Zone
Unburned Zone
Hypotriorchis
Eriophorum vaginatum
Eriophorum angustifolium
vulgaris
Myrica gale
Metrioptera brachyptera
Rubus chamaemorus
Lagopus lagopus scotica
Vaccinium myrtillus
Drosera
Vaccinium myrtillus
Gallinago gallinago
PEATLAND - BLANKET BOG HABITATS
Empetrum nigrum
Sphagnum
Moss
Peat Moss
Orthetrum coerulescens
Gyrinidae (Plecoptera) larvae
Ephemeroptera
Calluna
Numenius
Zygoptera
Feedback Loop
(100 years formation)
(200 years of storing CO2)
Dry Peat
Burned Peat
Exposed Peat
6cm
PROJECT AIMS
Reintroduce
CONSERVATION BOUNDARY
HYALINE CELLS
Sphagnum moss leaf
Source: Deviant Art (No date)
Chlorophyllose cell Photosynthesizes
Hyaline cell pore Allows water in/out
Sphagnum moss cellular structure
Source: Author’s own
Sphagnum sp.
Source: plingfactory (No date)
Hyaline cell
Dies at maturity to hold water, helpful bacteria
Illustrated Sphagnum moss cellular structure
Source: Author’s own
Sphagnum Moss
DETAIL MASTERPLAN
Animals’ fire shelters (moderate fire risk area)
The Hyaline Cells Long Boardwalk
Visitors’s Booth
Animals’ fire shelters (high fire risk area)
Visitors’ shelter
Stone Dams
Stone Dams
Stone Dams
Heather Bale with Coconut Coir Dams
Heather Bale with Coconut Coir Dams
The peatland program is organized according to areas with varying degrees of fire damage. The hand sketches below show the concept of the walking routes and shelters which can facilitate management access and, in the long term, help prevent visitors from disrupting restoration efforts.
Heather Bale with coconut coir dams and Boardwalk
Heather Bale with coconut coir dams and Boardwalk
Stone Dam and Boardwalk
Animals’ Fire Shelters
Visitor’s Information Booth
Visitor’s Information Booth
Visitor’s Shelter
Visitor’s Shelter
The Hyaline Cells Long Boardwalk (Moderate fire risk area)
In this illustration, the hydraulic structures are heather bales wrapped in coconut coir, designed to mimic the shape of hyaline cells. The site will feature a tailored planting strategy that includes sphagnum moss rafts, Cotton Grasses, Berries, and Cross-leaved Heath. With the calculation using Cut and Fill in Grasshopper, the maximum volume of water the intervention can hold estimated to be 114.160 litres. Each of the pools will have the different volume as in the water volume map below.
The Hyaline Cells Hydraulic Structures Module
Oval shapes sphagnum raft for easy movement in the water basins.
Cellular Structures Dams
Dams are thinner in this place with the distance of 5-12 metres between dams in steep gullies. The type of dam is peat dam.
Waterlogged areas
Design Proposal
Common Cotton Grass is planted at the sides and bottom of the gullies to slow down the water current and prevent peat erosion.
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum)
Common Cotton Grass (Eriophorum angustifolium)
Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus)
Bilberry, Crowberry, and Cloudberry are planted on the top of the peat or slope as they are clip root plants that can help stabilise the peat.
Sphagnum Moss beads will be spreaded everywhere on the peatland. Sphagnum Moss itself is also planted on the Rafts and brought to areas where coverage is lost.
Cross-leaved Heath (Erica
Cross-leaved Heath can be planted everywhere on the peatland.
tetralix)
Sphagnum Moss Rafts
Sphagnum Moss Beads
Hare’s Tails Grass is planted on the sides top of the the wettest area prevent erosion.
Cotton planted sides or the peat in area to erosion.
Hare’s Tails Cotton Grass (Eriophorum vaginatum)
Phasing
Phase 1: The first phase of the project is soil reprofiling. The peat will be reprofiled where there are erosion into 30o-45o slope.
Year 0 - 2
Phase 2: The second phase is grip, gulllies and large dry up areas blocking. The dams will play a role as barriers to slow down the water current, reducing peat loss, and create small water basins as waterlogged areas on the peatland.
Year 0 - 2
Phase 3: The third phase is moss planting. Using the sphagnum raft technique and place them floating on the waterlogged basins created in the second phase. The rafts will work like a cover to prevent water to evaporate from the basins. The design is inspired by the cellular structure of hyaline cells in sphagnum moss.
Year 2 - 4
Phase 4: In this phase, the sphagnum mosses planted on the basins are ready to be harvested and easily transported to other exposed peat areas to plant. With the issue of accessability on the peatland areas. Planting moss directly on the peatland will reduce the cost of transportation.
Year 4 - 7
Phase 5: The last phase is the peat build up in the basins and the waterlogged areas turn into bogs. The mires will continue to develop. The process of fully restoring the waterlogged environment may take centuries.
Year 7 + n
Soil Reprofile Detail
Project Manifesto
The restoration project seeks to repair the peatland, reintroduce humans and wildlife in more sustainable ways, offer educational programs for visitors, and build resilience to withstand future crises. The strategy centers on the concept of boundaries: identifying vulnerable areas by following wildfire perimeters and expanding water surface boundaries to combat wildfires, using hydraulic structures to capture water. This approach could potentially rewet the peatland, create firebreaks, and provide habitats for various species to thrive. Finally, the project supports the local long-term peatland management plan, introducing innovative ideas and perspectives for managing the peatland.
