At the edge of the bustling capital of Vietnam, v-na architecture has completed ‘Long’s House,’ a unique residential building for clients who are doctors and each run their clinics from home. The home, which features extensive glazing and is structured around an interior courtyard, is conceived as a spatial threshold between Hanoi’s dense urban fabric and its surrounding natural landscape.
Constructed on a modest budget, the project embraces sustainability through material efficiency, passive climate strategies, and adaptable spaces capable of accommodating changing functions or vertical expansion.
A home, a microcosm
The architects describe the design in almost ritualistic terms: “The openness of the house renders it infinite,” they explain. “The altar, the boiling kettle, the jackfruit tree, the kitchen, the air, and the heat insulation…constitute a cosmos and a microcosm within the house itself.” The use of glass allows the interior spaces to flow into one another, and the exterior to flow back inside, reimagining what a boundary or a wall might look like.
Stack ventilation shapes passive cooling
Passive climate control is key to the design. Warm air in the central courtyard rises and escapes through roof openings, generating a stack effect that draws cooler air in through lower-level openings. This airflow circulates horizontally through interior spaces before rising, ensuring continuous ventilation. Angled roof planes limit direct solar gain while guiding warm air upward, and the courtyard creates a cooling microclimate, moderating temperatures and reducing heat transfer from the ground.
Adaptable structure and floorplan
The design anticipates future needs: its structure allows additional floors to be added, providing flexibility as family requirements change or building functions evolve. The interior is equally adaptable, capable of accommodating both private and commercial uses. By combining this inherent flexibility with passive, low-energy climate strategies, the home remains future-proof, maintaining comfort and efficiency as its use changes over time.
Additional Credits:
Lead Architects: Huong Vu
Collaborators: Hieu Nham, Vuong Dinh
Post-production: Duong Le, Hiep Nguyen
