SEOUL BIENNALE: GLOBAL CITIES EXHIBITION
HOT AIR: THE EQUATORIAL CITY AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF AGGREGATION HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
Ho Chi Minh City Quadrant 1
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 1
Located in one of dense neighbourhoods of District 3, this mid-century modernist building stands out from surrounding narrow tube houses in terms of its scale and arrangement. Unlike adjacent buildings, it is not aligned to the street line, creating communal space on the ground level for residents to mingle and to park their motorbikes. Due to this setback of the building, temporary fences were erected by residents in order to demarcate the boundary line. Also, the building features an unusual residential building typology that is hardly found in Ho Chi Minh City. It accommodates four residential units per floor, and two main entrances on both ends of the buildings lead directly to each unit, making it highly private and enclosed.
Uniquely designed ventilation vent for the stairwell serves as one of main modernist features of the building and this ensures good light and air quality inside its narrow stairwell. Breeze blocks, ventilation vents and
horizontal concrete sun-shading device that spans across the front and the back façade of the building add on to modernist characteristic of the building. The spillage of the informal aggregate from its formal structure shows various ways in which the residents make use of given balcony spaces according to their individual needs. For instance, one of balcony spaces is redesigned as personal garden space with shelves of plants while the other was completely covered by opaque temporary wall. As such, various configurations of plants, awnings, laundry, grilles, blinds, temporary partition and furniture fill up each balcony space and these all together form a unique façade of the building. Notably, such aggregation is more noticeable on the front and the back façades as the building is situated in between two other adjacent buildings in high proximity, and hence, less spillage of informal aggregate can be observed on two sides facing adjacent buildings.
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 2
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 2
The building situated in the intersection between Nguyen Du Road and Truong Dinh Road in District 1, the center of Ho Chi Minh City, surrounded by some institutional buildings. It was built to be a Center for Statistic, Science and Technology Information of Ho Chi Minh City, although it is questionable whether the building still function as it was intended to, knowing that it was left quite empty and abandoned in January 2019, when the photograph was taken.
Using a combination of concrete as main material and steel as supporting element, with conjunction of a strong gesture of verticality and horizontality, it is assumed that the building was built during mid century modernism in Ho Chi Minh City during or after Vietnam War, although the architect and the year built remains unknown. With balconies wrapping along the facade, it creates an intention of establishing a deep envelop to protect the building for any climatic trouble. The moss and mold that is
present on the facade shows how tropical climate decorate the exterior. The columns and beams that holds the balcony construct the facade as framework that allows all informalities to happen. Signboards, cables, canopies and potted plants occupies the exterior, and such scenery could be found all over the city. The architecture allows people to participate on the design overtime, and thus creates a very distinctive character of the city.
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 3
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 3
Minh City.
V-shaped
a range of programmes, ranging from cafe, restaurant and motorbike parking on the ground floor, to bookstore and co-working spaces above and finally residences in the upper 3 floors. The elevation observes a gradual stagger in a manner that forms a terracing effect, allowing for the respective unit above to have a balcony space. It is within these balcony spaces and adjacent common corridors that one observes the life of the building spilling out, in the form of objects, chairs, tables, planters and awnings bursting out of the concrete modernist structural frame.
Standing from Turtle Lake, it is nuanced yet obvious that the original unit bay has been aggregated and transformed, expanded to suit the likes of commercial space but faintly reminiscent of its holding frame in the residences above, where partition walls are less abundant as below.
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over years, in which wild vines crawl out of the corner corridor, covering the building with thick green shade.
The modernist style of architecture is mainly shown in the division of proportion in facade, which is organized by ventilation vents, sun shades
and screens. The balconies and guardrails emphasize the horizontal lines, while the vertical lines are separated by slender fins that define the dimensions for each unit. Due to the aggregation of informal additions in the later years, this pattern has been broken to some extent in the west facade, while the south facade still maintains the original formal framework system of the building, showing the contrast of aggregation. The internal layout of the building is clear in three sections, with three rows of living units separated by two corridors, providing circulation space and access to public areas of balconies, as well as hints on the facade. The units on both sides of the Corridor are used as shops, bringing the street space of Ho Chi Minh City into a vertical level. Due to the temporary cafe and retail shops attached to the building, the ground floor extends out to the pavement, and the entrance provides an indoor motorcycle parking lot, which becomes a daily social area for residents.
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 5
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 5
The building was designed back in 1964 and functions as a hotel to accommodate the flow of foreigners that flooded Saigon (present day Ho Chi Minh) due to the Vietnam War. Located at the corner of a junction (between Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Van Trang road), the building assimilates itself into the urban fabric by having a smooth curve edge which imposes a smooth transition from one part of the street to the other, creating a clear vista connection as one transitions between the two roads. Still, it stands out as an object due to the various modernist characteristics shown that include breeze blocks, horizontal and vertical fins, orderly arranged opening, scale, functional roof garden and more which together sets it apart from its surrounding building context that are mainly composed of narrow tube houses of three to five story high.
The strong sense of verticality as shown through its fins however, functions only as a decorative device instead of a performative tool with its
lack of depth and width. This is a contrast to the other modernist buildings of a bigger scale whereby the brie soleil, which is usually the strongest tectonic element of the building, is not only expressive but also functional at the same time. The present building functions as both commercial and residential which can be clearly identified from the various sign boards hung from its facade and balcony spaces. Interior spaces of the existing has been partitioned in an unorganized manner, creating many unknowns and uncertainties as the building ages. The building shows an important sign of adaptation and aggregation throughout the years through the act of addition, subtraction and filling-in that together dictates the modern urban fabric and language of the city. The wear and tear, grittiness, dirtiness, organic growth and air con compressor shows how modern Ho Chi Minh accepts and adapts the existing modernist buildings into current times.
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 6
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 6
The building situated in the intersection between Nguyen Du Road and Truong Dinh Road in District 1, the center of Ho Chi Minh City, surrounded by some institutional buildings. It was built to be a Center for Statistic, Science and Technology Information of Ho Chi Minh City, although it is questionable whether the building still function as it was intended to, knowing that it was left quite empty and abandoned in January 2019, when the photograph was taken.
Using a combination of concrete as main material and steel as supporting element, with conjunction of a strong gesture of verticality and horizontality, it is assumed that the building was built during mid century modernism in Ho Chi Minh City during or after Vietnam War, although the architect and the year built remains unknown. With balconies wrapping along the facade, it creates an intention of establishing a deep envelop to protect the building for any climatic trouble. The moss and mold that is
present on the facade shows how tropical climate decorate the exterior. The columns and beams that holds the balcony construct the facade as framework that allows all informalities to happen. Signboards, cables, canopies and potted plants occupies the exterior, and such scenery could be found all over the city. The architecture allows people to participate on the design overtime, and thus creates a very distinctive character of the city.
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 7
Built before 1975, this 7 storey apartment building contains about 60 residential units along with a commercial ground floor, with some of its residential units having since been transformed into home-stays or humble businesses. Notably, this building is recently on the government’s list of being demolished, primarily due to its old age and deterioration, as well as its prime location in District 1. The Nguyễn Trãi Building is situated on a corner plot, flanked by a park (on Lê Lai Street) with a bus interchange further down, and Nguyễn Trãi Street, with its tube houses, housing hotels and commercial businesses. Its adherence to the plot boundary along the edges ceases when the street turns the corner. The building chamfers and creates a continuous façade, linking both elevations together for a continuous street front. This thereby establishes the architecture to be read not only as a building, but as an object as well. Its modernist features also consist of breeze blocks, vertical ventilation vents and sun-shading devices which emphasise the horizontal edges.The pervasiveness of the
horizontal sun-shading device applied on both elevations of the building can be seen as a way to deal with the solar radiation in Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, the South elevation consists of greater informal shading additions as compared to the North elevation; an indication of how the tenants infill the formal architectural frame with a suggestion of the informalities of life. Over time, the informal of the building overrides the formality of the standard column grid system. This can be seen on the elevation, on a vertical stack of units, certain units span 2 bays (based on similar windows/ awnings) while others seemingly span 5 bays wide. Eventually, these modifications and informalities further add on to the collectiveness of the building, as well as providing a secondary layer of information as to how the formal structure is able to cater to the way the city changes over time.
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 8
Located
a
80 households
a ground floor, a terrace
floors.
a reinforced concrete structure
a floor area
over 4,000 sqm. Sandwiched in between narrow tube houses, the building stands out as a midcentury modernist building as one walks through a valley of malignant infrastructure and sheer cement walls down the street. The facade of the building is characterised by a strong horizontal element, achieved by bands of framed windows and doors that is set back and shaded by a continuous reinforced concrete sun shading and balconies. As such, it stands out as an object due to its modernist characteristics including its curved edge from its front elevation towards its West elevation.
Apartments here are between 20 and 60 sqm where most lack proper ventilation. In an attempt to improve their indoor living conditions, extra windows were knocked into the walls. The front elevation of the building gives a strong indication of adaptation, modification and collectivism. Despite having a clear frame showing the different units, each enclosed boundary within the frame portrays a unique characteristic from the other. The spillage of the informal aggregate beyond the formal structure shows the various ways in which the inhabitants make use of a certain space according to their needs. The different configurations of plants, laundry, air-conditioner compressors, blinds and awnings dictates the architecture of aggregate of the city. It goes to show how the modernist structure, despite being formal, is still able to slowly adapt towards the present day needs.
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 9
Date / time : 27 01 2019 / 3pm (from Nguyễn Công Trễu Street)
Camera / lens : Canon / 10-18mm
Q8/D1 Kí Con Building 70 Ký Con, Phung Nguyen Thái Bìn Quan 1, Ho Chí Minh, Vietnam 10°45’59.0”N 106°41’57.9”E
Architect : Unknown Year : Unknown
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 9
The building currently resides along the Ben Nghe canal as a string of three-storey shophouses, each a pigeon hole packed to the front with cascading shelves of specifically shipped goods from elsewhere. Electronics, clothes, jewelry, furniture, paraphernalia and fruits. Hundreds of motorbikes are parked outside the shop fronts, their owners lost in the depths of the stores. The building, however, wrap around an environment that is starkly different. The repeating architecture of the shophouses stand as a barrier between the chaotic streets and the secluded labyrinth of unique houses. There seem to be a distinct symbiotic relationship between the typologies wherein the people there could possibly own a shop front as well as a home in the back, living and working in approximately the same place.
Adjacent to the lot is an exact mirror of the building suggesting that this could have been part of a larger masterplan. Studying the other building
provides a clue that the building began with two-storeys with an Art Deco roof before later renovations. The more slender columns on the top floor is further evidence that this is true. There is also evidence that the string of shophouses used to be longer but was partially demolished to make room for a new road to bridge across the canal. A billboard now plastered like a band-aid across where the break had happened. The wounds where the beams used to meet the wall still visible.
Throughout the building, other elements seem to be removed, replaced or added on by the tenants. So much is evident here and elsewhere that it almost seem ordinary that a building in Ho Chi Minh City can be ripped apart so easily, without attempts to conceal the difference in material used or the level of skill applied to make the changes happen. The architecture here is not revered, but it is lived in. It is a utility that is a body-part of the community. It is not worn by the people as a statement of fashion
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 10
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism - Global Studio 2019
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 10
Designed by Nguyen Văn Hoá in the 1960s, the building is separated into two programatically. Programatically the lower six floors serve as space to facilitate office and commercial programmes, with a school being the largest tenant of them all, located on the sixth floor. The upper six floors on the other hand are purely residential in nature, but consequentially, one begins to view very colourful and personalised expressions of individual character on the facades of these upper floors, as users spill out their belongings outside of their own units into commonly shared balconies and corridors. and yet despite this, a sense of harmony is still achieved betwen neighbours.
The Võ Văn Kiet Building also has a courtyard that serves the residents on 1) the ground floor; 2) the sixth floor.
These courtyards, which also have been appropriated by residents to become small private gardens, are densely populated with aggregation; accompanied by pets roaming about, windchimes ringing gently and the sound of cloth fluttering, one is able to immerse themselves in a peculiar peacefulness, as one does rest in these courtyards.
The Võ Văn Kiet Building is a treasure trove; it is a framework that is rigid, bursting at its seams with the life it contains, and that to me is a wonderful tension; one worth exploring and possibly worth learning from.
PRECEDENTS STUDIES - 11
Sited in the mad urbanism of District 4, the smallest yet one of the most dense district in Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Xá Đoàn Văn Bo Building stands monstrous in scale as a monolithic object amidst its granular aggregated surroundings. Measuring approximately 57m by 36m, Cu Xá Đoàn Văn Bo Building is made up of a gridded frame of 3m approximately center to center.
Cu Xá Đoàn Văn Bo Building is essentially a residential building with commercial program interposed between the apartment units and also on street level which can be easily identified from the signboards hanging from the facade of the building. The allocation of commercial programs on ground level helps promote engagement with the street as the interior life of the commercial units spills out onto the sidewalks; as opposed to just being on the street.
Its facade is made of up a composition of openings and layering of elements such as parapet and breeze blocks. On the ground level, the units boost large opening, allowing porosity between the sidewalks and the shopfront. On subsequent floors, parapets lining the corridors and balconies of approximately 1.5m form the first layer of a thick envelope around the frame, performing as a sun-shading device sheltering the units from the direct sun. The breeze blocks then form the intermediate layer behind the corridors, sitting atop the door and window openings promoting natural ventilation; affirming the reality of the tropical city and climate.
Its architecture sits as a frame accommodating a massively fascinating reconfiguration and modifications of the informal; of the interior life that spills out of its elevation, such as plants, colors, awnings, grilles, railings bouncing off the frame of modern concrete.