NPK Micro Town House

Oki Hiroyuki

• Architects

A “resort-style” town house in the center of Saigon.
Located in the very dense and hectic district 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, this town house is only 3,6m width X 10m depth,
tube shape land.
The recycled louvers and the ceramic wall blocks of the front façade give a vernacular interpretation from the street, widely opened on ground floor, like the typical shop houses of the city.
In opposition to the bustling public space, and despite a very limited area, the interiors spaces create a “resort” like experience.

photo_credit Oki Hiroyuki — Oki Hiroyuki

According to the architect My An Pham Thi - the designer of this house - it was a challenge she posed for herself. On how to create a resort-style living space with a tiny area and solve all functional problems at the same time.
The solution is a house including 1 ground floor, 1 mezzanine, 2 floors and a terrace.
The ground floor, fully opened on the pavement can be used for parking or as a flexible space for business purpose, very typical in Ho Chi Minh city. The mezzanine floor hosts the kitchen and a dining area. Three bedrooms are on the 1st and 2nd floors. Lastly, the roof top floor includes a swimming pool and a yoga pod on the terrace.

Despite a very dense, saturated surrounding and a generous program, the designer manages to keep the layout very open, prioritizing the natural ventilation and maximum of natural light as much as possible
The circulation's organization, the uses of appropriate materials, the multiple openings illustrate the design strategy of the architect while the interior design elements are more personal, made of memories.
The staircase shaft is arranged on one side at the back half of the house, then to front half at 2nd floor. The recycled wooden lattice system and wind-cement bricks help the house to "breathe" easier. The array of facade cladding material is also a solution to make the house perfectly “blended” in the street panorama.

Storage and cabinet systems assure a neat and clean lifestyle. The designer has combined many existing vintage and personal items to create the spirit of the house, full of memories and illustrate a certain approach toward the Vietnamese traditional interiors. Mixing with colour patches, floor tile patterns to form a lively and youthful look.
Plants are in every corners, creating unexpected nature angles in this house, from the facade's front to the living room and kitchen, on the window frames to decorative shelves or on the balconies of each floors.

The natural green area is an indispensable element in all works of architect My An. It looks like a familiar and effective method, brings lots of values and wellness to those who enjoy the living spaces.
A townhouse with a very limited area but owns many utilities and can be considered as a "home resort". In urban areas like Ho Chi Minh City, people have no choice but living in small spaces. Thus, Optimized spaces, full natural ventilation and a "better quality of life" are what people care about. This resort-style townhouse aims to stimulate and promote this philosophy.