Son La, Vietnam
Na Khoang School, designed by 1+1>2 Architects is located in the middle of a village of a Thai ethnic group – an area of Son La, Vietnam with a rich and diverse cultural lifestyle and community activities.
Na Khoang School has been awarded a 2023 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Inspired by the design of flowers that can be found between the mountains and hills, each roof of the building has a different inclination like a diverse, rhythmic dance.
The elementary school is arranged along the side corridors, and the preschool is arranged in clusters in the middle corridors, connected with each other by a common-use stone stage, in harmony with the terraced fields.
The wall is built of several materials: unburnt terracotta bricks made on the spot from foundation soil, locally available degraded soil, and the pebbles collected by the people together and brought back from the stream.
The construction process makes efficient use of wasteland, is environmentally friendly, and reduces construction costs.
Na Khoang School provides a safe learning space, warm in winter, and cool in summer, creating intense excitement for the children. Here is also a community space in the village, where people participate in cultural activities, sports, and meetings after school.
Project: Na Khoang School
Architecture Firm: 1+1>2 Architects
Lead Architect: Hoang Thuc Hao
Design Team: Vu Xuan Son, Nguyen Gia Phong, Nguyen Hanh Le, Hoang Van Minh, Nguyen Van Dinh
General Contractor: 1+1>2 Architects
Client: Na Khoang School
Photographers: Trieu Chien, Son Vu
