TRANSIT TRANSFORMS TO DESTINATION

DESIGN COMPETITION ITEAMWORK I 2014 WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL FINALIST

Project Location I Nha Trang Airport, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam

Instructor I Professor Le Thi Minh Tam (MArch)

Other Members I Tran Tan Phuc, Do Kim Chung, Phan Xuan Thien

My Duty I Architecture Strategies, Concept Design, Sustainability Analysis, Visualization, Presentation.

Airlines and airports have always been means of international transportation, trade, business as well as cultural exchange. For centuries, they have helped connect millions of people millions of miles away from each other. However, despite being consider the iconic benchmarks of countries’ or cities’ economy and technology, most of the airports stand merely transit points, where people come and go, passing by just in minutes. As time passed, very few airports became preeminent and attracting people, while many others showed inefficient in operation, which made them shut down and left vacant.

Vacancy do create opportunities for redevelopment. In this project, we would like to imagine how an abandoned airport in a coastal city of Nha Trang (Vietnam) can be redesigned and transformed. Located near many international transportation routes, Nha Trang is endowed with great advantages of connections on all land, sea, and air. The city attracts travelers around the world by the beautiful tropical white sandy beach, blue water sea and fascinating vernacular coastal lifestyles. To be fair, Nha Trang tourist is growing, but didn’t grow well enough to join the party with other coastal ‘holiday heavens’ in the region (Bali, Phuket, etc), or to its own potential. The city lacks of attentiongrabbing activities to brand it an outstanding spot of the international vacation industry. This project is the proposal about how an outdated point of transit would become an Asia Pacific world-class destination of international cultural meetings and events, in the CITY OF COASTAL CULTURE AND TOURISM.

Site Selection

Nha Trang airfield was opened in 1945. Once being used as a military base in Vietnam War, its facilities are opened for civil use, operating domestic routes in Vietnam from 1975, before being permanently closed today.

Urban Context

Nha Trang is well-known for its top of the world beautiful bay*, the vital factor for boosting the development of the city toward one of Vietnam top center of tourism.

SAIL FESTIVAL

FLOATING LANTERN

RUBBER DUCK

DRAGON BOAT RACE

MASS SWIMMING

WATER SPORT (ASIAN BEACH GAME)

YATCH FESTIVAL

CURRENT LANDUSE

2 large parcels: the former airport (closed in 2004), and the Air Force Academy.

AIRPORT’S LEGACY

Two most notable remaining structures now are the former 2km long runway and Nha Trang Air Force Museum

One of these axis will directly overlap current airport runway

Connections

The seaied wall of the airport has been blocking connections of nearby streets.

CLIMATE

Nha Trang is endowed with a very soothing climate with cool air flow and great view from the