THANH HA HOUSE
Located deep within a small alley in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thanh Ha House sits on a narrow plot measuring only 4.7m x 13m, inside an alley just 1.8m wide. The project began with a simple question: how to create a living space that feels relaxing and emotionally rich for a young couple returning home after long and demanding days in the city.
Small houses in Hanoi’s narrow alleys are often dark, poorly ventilated, and spatially constrained. Limited natural light and airflow make it difficult for people to truly rest and restore their energy.
What we found special about this site, however, was the unusual quietness of the dead-end alley. Within that stillness, people become more aware of the sound of flowing water, the wind moving through leaves, and the subtle presence of nature around them.
An open void was placed immediately after the entrance to remove the feeling of tightness and enclosure from the narrow alley, opening the house into a more spacious and layered environment. Within this courtyard are trees, a koi pond, and stair flights interwoven through the vertical space, creating gentle and engaging movement throughout the house.
The kitchen and dining area on the ground floor are positioned directly beside this courtyard, allowing daily activities to remain closely connected to greenery, water, and natural light.
On the upper floors, an open timber walkway wraps around the void, improving ventilation and strengthening the connection between spaces while making movement through the house more engaging. It also becomes a place to sit, look down at the koi pond, play the piano, or simply experience the light and wind passing through the home. Greenery continues vertically through the void, reaching toward the skylight above.
The courtyard and staircase were combined as a way to use space efficiently within the site’s height restrictions. The design uses the gaps between stair flights and walkways to introduce landscape into the center of the house, while carefully calculating daylight and ventilation so that the plants can continue growing naturally.
From the walkway, greenery visually extends toward the living spaces, increasing the spatial depth both horizontally and vertically.
The sloped glass roof uses reflective film and natural ventilation to draw hot air upward toward the rooftop terrace above. As the building rises higher, the central void gradually becomes smaller in order to maximize usable floor area.
The bedrooms are placed toward the rear of the house, each connected to a small loggia combined with greenery and a secondary void to ensure natural light and ventilation. Even if neighboring buildings become denser in the future, this rear open space will continue to provide airflow and daylight for the bedrooms.
The entire house is organized around the landscaped void and staircase located at the front of the building. Shared living spaces open toward this central space, while private rooms are placed deeper inside. Movement throughout the house feels natural and calm, shaped by changing light across wood, stone, greenery, and water — allowing people to experience a quieter and more restorative way of living within the dense urban fabric of Hanoi.
