Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Nguyen Hoang Manh, founder and principal architect of MIA Design Studio, has created Villa Tan Dinh, a private residence that gives the impression of an urban miniature park, with open spaces, lots of greenery, and multiple water elements.

” We want to create as much space for trees as possible in the context of urban space becoming more narrow and smoggy. From that beginning, we hope the house will become a miniature park inside the city,” explains Manh.

“The principal concept is to create a living space that hovers above the mini-garden, giving you the feeling of walking on bridges. All the primary activities in the house will be connected throughout an empty zone between plants, water as well as natural light.”

Villa Tan Dinh has recently been awarded a 2022 Green Good Design Award by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

This residence is designed for a female owner who truthfully desired not only a comfortable but also convenient living space situated in the center area of a hectic city.

The goal during the design stage is to create more spaces in the context of diminishing actual living space for humans due to the contemporary trends in “city-building.”

During discussions with the owner, the first task to be consulted is to create a bigger garden instead of a few small green zones at the entrance or at the doorstep. The main concept is to create a living space that hovers above a mini-garden, giving the feeling of walking on bridges.

All the primary activities in the house will be connected throughout the empty zone between plants, water as well as natural light.

Another distinguishing feature is the location adjacent to historical buildings of Sai Gon such as Tân Định Church, and Tân Định Market.

Also, the house is located in the middle of district 3 which is considered the most “condense” area of the city.

In the early morning or afternoon, you can clearly hear the bell from the Church, or just by walking out from the house, after a few steps, you can directly be in touch with the ambiance of the “alley” of Sai Gon, which comprises a specialty of urban culture.

In the same way, the design team formed a thin steel cover layer that relatively separates private spaces, and captures the most distinctive ones.

The concrete bridges cross and stack each other, the remaining space is a place for man and nature.

In the near future, lianas are going to spread their stems all over the steel net system and create a fresh green filter for the house instead of cold concrete and steel.

The use of a roller shutter system was maximized to clear the separation between outside and inside; also the thickness of the structure was taken into account so that the owner could have more space while the home remains warm and hospitable.

Its shape could be seen as a simple box when looked at from the outside but from the inside, it contains so many layers of space as well as alternations between light and dark intertwined with the raw materials of concrete and stones.

Last but not least, the House brings comfort to the owner where they can enjoy a “garden” with all the essence of Sai Gon in their own home.

Project: Villa Tan Dinh
Architects: MIA Design Studio
Architect In Charge: Nguyen Hoang Manh
Design Team: Truong Nguyen Quoc Trung, Pham Thi, Phuong Nhung, Bui Thi Hong Phuong, Bui Hoang Bao, Nguyen Ngoc Thien Phuong, and Nguyen Thi Hao
Photographers: Hiroyuki Oki