Dong Na, Hoi An, Vietnam
By integrating traditional Vietnamese aesthetics with modern, eco-friendly principles, Casamia Community House by Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTN Architects) contributes to the broader vision of Hoi An as a sustainable urban area, bridging the gap between past and future.
The project has been awarded a 2024 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture, Design, and Urban Studies.
It is situated within close proximity to Hoi An’s Ancient Town, a city of melting-pot history and one of UNESCO’s heritage sites.
Right beside the building is a mesmerizing river called Cổ Cò, which brings freshness and a great view.
The amenities provided by this community house range from, but are not limited to, restaurants, traditional goods stalls, conferences, and meeting spaces.
Standing next to the Ancient Town, such a bamboo structure gives greater importance to the traditional beauty and indigenous architecture.
Bamboo is a natural and sustainable material, which makes the design sustainable and intimate to nature.
Hoi An is a land of areca trees and the structural form and details of the design resemble the branches and leaves of such an indigenous plant.
The bamboo structure shows appreciation for local craftsmanship.
The urban center also houses 3,000 palm trees and the bamboo structure of Calm Casamia Community House is positioned well in the midst of the dense palm forest.
The bamboo structure is unique and its structural capacity can withstand many heavy storms that come to Hoi An every year.
The bamboo structure is placed strategically in different directions to create an enriching spatial quality inside.
In fact, there are a variety of structural bamboo frame modules, connected together from different positions and angles before being braced densely on the outside to create a surface effect.
The lightness and fluidity also derive from the open space created by long-span bamboo frames, connecting the inside and outside beautifully.
Project: Casamia Community House
Architects: Vo Trong Nghia Co. Ltd. (VTN Architects)
Lead Architects: Vo Trong Nghia and Nguyen Tat Dat
Design Team: Nguyen Cong Hoan, Ha Nguyen Nhan, and Nguyen Hai Dang
Bamboo Contractor: VTN Architects
Client: Tuan Dat Phuong Group
Photographers: Hiroyuki Oki
