The Kaleidoscope 辦公及住宅大樓 by Inrestudio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 建築、樓宇及結構設計 Competition Category.

銀建築· 2023

The Kaleidoscope 辦公及住宅大樓

by Inrestudio

Client: Hoang Long Mineral JSC

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 建築 Category

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The Design

About The Kaleidoscope 辦公及住宅大樓

Kaleidoscope（萬花筒）係一座辦公及住宅大樓，位於越南中部一個工廠用地。大樓座落喺山丘同大海之間，喺唔同方向同一日唔同時段，都能夠框取多樣化嘅景觀。屋頂嘅形態取材自越南傳統農夫帽「Non La」（斗笠），既可以遮擋陽光同雨水，又可以畀風喺底下流通。V形實心牆身構成三角形嘅私人房間，同時喺牆身之間創造出較大嘅共享空間。特製穿孔預製混凝土磚塊為建築提供私隱度同自然通風。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

The Kaleidoscope 辦公及住宅大樓是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計The Kaleidoscope 辦公及住宅大樓將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。The Kaleidoscope 辦公及住宅大樓是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Kaleidoscope is the living and working building located at a factory site in central Vietnam. The surrounding region is well known for its severe climate: a hot wind blows in the dry season and typhoons and floods during the rainy season. The building is placed between the hill and the sea, and frames a series of diverse (kaleidoscopic) views in directions and times. The project aims at creating a protected space from the harsh tropical climate, and enhancing the user’s contact with nature.
Dimensions & Packaging: The roof plan fits into a 32,330mm diameter circle, while the building measures 15,250mm high.
Major specifications are listed below.
Roof: trowel-finished mortar
Ceiling: exposed concrete (public spaces) / paint (private rooms)
Exterior wall: trowel-finished mortar, fiber-reinforced concrete block
Interior wall: stucco (public spaces), paint (private rooms)
Exterior floor: terrazzo (2F) / washout concrete (1F)
Interior floor: solid wood, terrazzo (public spaces) / ceramic tile (private rooms)
Tags: Vietnamese architecture, tropical architecture, rural architecture, concrete architecture, sustainable architecture, office building, residential building, open building, passive energy, non la
Production Technology: Perforated ventilation blocks are common building elements in tropical regions to moderate environmental factors. Custom precast ventilation blocks compose the outer surfaces of the solid volumes to provide privacy to the inner rooms. These fiber-reinforced concrete blocks have larger dimensions (500 x 500mm) than usual (200 x 200mm), and match the grand scale of the surrounding backdrop. The hollow precast blocks were interlocked on site by pouring concrete into their cavities.
Design Challenge: The project was realized after a 5-year long process in an outlying region of Vietnam. The construction was carried out by a mixed team of experienced builders from Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam, and local barely experienced farmer-builders. The process was characterized by numerous moments of deliberate procedures and impromptu solutions, contributing to the evolution of the local workmanship and offering a window into the potential of rural construction.
Research: In Vietnam, there are many office buildings that only import the style of modern office buildings but fail to adapt it to the local climate. These buildings apply large glass surfaces on their flat facade and, as is often the case, office workers close the blinds throughout working hours to block the strong sunlight. The Kaleidoscope is one of a series of projects called Tropical Office Projects, which aims at discovering location-specific design languages for modern office buildings.
Inspiration: The characteristic roof of the building inherits the idea of Non La, a Vietnamese traditional farmer’s hat made of palm leaf, that a large conical surface shuts out sunlight and rain while allowing for the wind underneath. In order to enhance the natural ventilation, solid walls are arranged perpendicularly to the roof periphery. These form a series of V-shapes to cut out triangular private rooms while defining a large in-between space that is used for the public functions.
Project Duration: The project design was started in 2017 in Saigon and the construction was completed in 2022 in Quang Binh, Vietnam.
Operation Flow: Located in a remote area, the building provides both living and working spaces for the users. Under a single roof, various functions of the building are organized by seven triangular volumes that defines private and common spaces. The inside of the volumes accommodates closed functions such as bedrooms and private offices, while the space between the volumes holds gathering functions such as the central office and parlors.
Team Members: Nguyen Quynh Han
Vo Hanh Nhan
Image Credits: #1: Photographer Hiroyuki Oki, non-title, 2022
#2: Photographer Hiroyuki Oki, non-title, 2022
#3: Photographer Hiroyuki Oki, non-title, 2022
#4: Photographer Hiroyuki Oki, non-title, 2022
#5: Photographer Hiroyuki Oki, non-title, 2022