JOURNEY OF THE STONES HUNG KING TEMPLE

Type: Academic project

Level: Architectural Foundation studio project (Semester 2)

Type of working: Individual

Location: Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

Date: March 2017 - May 2017

One of the most prominent indigenous worship beliefs in Vietnam is the tradition of worshiping Hung King, the king who founded the Van Lang country, the first country in Vietnam, more than 4000 years ago. From the main temple complex located in Phu Tho province, the North of Vietnam, there are thousands of large and small temples in the whole country. With many diverse forms, the temple of Hung King is always a unique spiritual highlight in each area it appears.

Hung King temples analysis

The question...?

Located in th center of Tao Dan park, district 1, Hung King temple here at first, is the smaller verson of Hung King Temple in Phu Tho. However, the question is, what exactly is the temple? Is there neccesary to build a temple with a form merely duplicated from the original verson?

In my opinions, the most important factor while people step in a temple is the feeling that place gives them. Respectation, reveerness, honor... those feelings can be experienced in not only the traditional architecture, but also a modern form.

Ho Chi Minh city is a young and energetic city, therefore, a temple with a modern form can easier actract people, whom almost lost interesting in visiting temple while they live in a busy city.

The project uses big-size stones to arrange and build the space obeying the basic form: rectangular. This form allow us to make a modern space but still keep graveness for the temple. By using stones arranged disjointedly, light can be used as a emphasized tool, with is unlackable in traditional temple.