T3 Architects just designed the first Dojo in Saigon (Vietnam).

The project started with a good mix of cultures: " Dojo " is the Japanese name of the building which means that the building will be built with a certain of Japanese traditional rules for the right practice of Judo. Then, the Dojo is located in the garden of an old French style Villa, and all this together in the dynamic city of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Designed and built with the main sustainable principles in mind from the beginning, T3 placed the Dojo correctly on the garden using the existing Villa to be protected and right-oriented to avoid the main heavy rains/winds and designing the openings accordingly. 

As the existing Villa will be rented as part of the Dojo office and as a co-working space for Judo practitioners T3 decided to do the main circulation through the existing building where a new changing room is placed. Moreover, we decided to relocate the main entrance creating a new gate in the alley next to the plot avoiding the access from an existing dangerous road junction.

In addition to this, as first intentions, T3 took care to place the Dojo to keep all the old existing trees creating three different gardens around the plot, one at the entrance for welcoming as a hall, one in the back with more privacy and where parents can wait for the kids while the training is happening, and another one for work-out, all of them with enough natural soil to allow rainwater to go through avoiding the common flooding in this area of the city.

As the building is air-conditioned, the Dojo is built with full insulation in its walls, double glazing in all the openings and rice husk insulation for the roof, which is an ecological and affordable material. Thanks to all of this, the building has high-level energy efficient providing a low-energy consumption to the clients

For the last but not least, taking in consideration the dynamic and changeable times we all live, the project has been designed to be dismountable (main structure, flooring, walls, tatami...) to provide the client with the option to move the whole building to another plot in case it is needed. Putting together the sustainable principles comments above, the beauty of the practice of Judo, and the creative and functional design makes finally a meaningful project with a very competitive budget

• sport • martial arts • traditions •
 

“Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength.”
— Kano Jigoro

For the Judo Club in Sao Saigon, our lighting design takes into account 15 years of experience in Judo practicing.

The Sao Saigon Judo Club dojo is a peaceful haven for practicing martial arts. With a traditional, clean exterior that exudes zen and sobriety, attention to detail is paramount at the Sao Saigon Judo Club, and the lighting system is no exception.

 The luminous atmosphere was thought to Zenify while energizing the spirit of the athletes and highlighting the art of judo and its traditions. The design of the light facilitates the precision of movements while still ensuring enjoyment and the pleasure of practising the sport.

 The light is also designed for flexible control. Three modes of lighting functions were created with:
Mode 1: Warm and minimalist lighting effect to welcome people, but still impressive enough to bright up martial arts’ spirits.
Mode 2: Lighting for Judo practising and safety guarantee. The lighting design shall provide a high lux level, with glare reduction and efficiency enhancement.
Mode 3: Sufficient lighting for daily cleaning and arrangement
To see further how we display the scenes for the project, click here.

This collaboration with Sao Saigon Judo Club and T3 Architects, has resulted in a successful destination containing the quintessence of martial arts in Vietnam.

In the end, the Dojo celebrates the pleasure of the practice of Judo and martial arts.

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Client: Sao Saigon Judo Club

Architect & Interior designer: T3 Architects

Photographer: OKI Hiroyuki (DeconPhotoStudio)

Lighting designer & consultant: kobi lighting studio 

Lighting design services: Interiors | Landscapes

Scope of design: lighting concept design | lighting design development | lighting details & technical design | lighting authorship supervision