Glass house in the middle of trees

THUA THIEN – HUE – Green trees surround and cover the whole house making it look like it’s in the middle of a small forest.

The two-story, one-mezzanine house with an area of 352 m2 is located on a hillside in the west of Hue city.

The construction area has a gentle terrain forward, surrounded by green gardens. The group of architects came up with the idea of a modern house with an open view, to fully enjoy the green grass and fresh air outside.

The house is located at the highest point of the land and opens the view to the foothills. The architect’s idea is to create an unclear boundary where people are open to nature and nature also affects people in the most balanced way.

The basement is opened by a passage cut along the ground to allow vehicles to enter the middle of the building. The two sides are walkways along the slope to the main hall and BBQ yard.

The first and second floors of the building consist of two stacked boxes with many interlocking spaces for ventilation and light. The indoor space is designed with the maximum open direction to the outside to enjoy the entire surrounding context.

The use of glass materials around the house contributes to increasing the connection of internal users to natural elements and vice versa. Family members can easily interact with each other when in different spaces.

The mezzanine floor of the building is formed from the height difference between the basement and the first floor. This space is a space to make a playground as well as link the view from the bottom of the hill to the house and vice versa.

All spaces of the building are designed as cornerless rooms. The corners of the house are large double-sided glass panels, expanding the space to the outside, making the house like a part of nature.

The second floor block is extended above the mezzanine and the first floor helps to control the sunny angles and create shade for the block below.

The shaded area between the second floor and the mezzanine level acts as an air buffer to help ventilate and cool the building.

The house spends half of the area for open space, helping people to access nature, and the other half is for the family’s essential needs.

The spaces are connected by a chain of links between the stairs, the corridor, the courtyard from the first floor to the second floor, surrounding the atrium core located in the center of the house. The large atrium creates convection of cooling air and expands the view from the house to the foothills.

The house is made of steel frame structure with shell including: layer of vines covered with green facade, assembled lightweight concrete shell and aluminum and glass doors.

The outer glass panels allow people in the house to easily access nature, and at the same time not be affected too much by outside noise due to good sound insulation.

To ensure airiness, the interior of the house is designed in a minimalistic way with the main color being wood. Due to color limitation, light is considered as a decorative element to create visual and aesthetic effects, and at the same time bring a sense of relaxation to the homeowner.

Being able to see through from room to room, the landscape is shady with trees and sunlight, the house seems to be one with the living space outside.

Floor-to-ceiling glass windows allow natural light to flood into the interior space, making the occupants feel surrounded by green nature.

Corridors with facades are covered with vines along the roof to help reduce harsh sunlight effectively. The green facade also creates privacy for the interior space, filtering light and reducing solar heat radiation from the west.

Each area of the house is carefully calculated to balance natural light and private space. The baby’s bed is placed in a position with less light than other spaces.