An ‘Agritecture’ Development Project in Vietnam In a modern realisation of the legendary hanging gardens of Babylon, ‘Teraces Home’, Vietnam-based studio H&P Architecture have combined architecture and agriculture to forge an attractive path towards sustainability, all in the name of ‘argitecture’. In their Terraces Home project, they have sought to combine two fundamental elements of the rural Vietnam: accommodation and cultivation, in the form of terraced rice fields built into a stepped building. Vegetation is kept verdant and the weather conditions of the tropical monsoon are kept in check by way of two irrigation systems flanking the roof. Aesthetic and practical, the terraces offer both an ecological solution to material and spatial consumption, and a refreshing approach to urban planning. They encourage cultivation and contribute to a new approach towards agriculture, making it an encouragingly accessible activity that puts the inhabitants of the space in touch with the earth, and allowing them to harvest their own products from their doorsteps. It is a modern and innovative approach that moves architecture forward through returning to a more traditional relationship with the land, one that architect Doan Thanh Ha hopes will alleviate the increasing pressure human population is putting on the planet: as he says, “agritecture can save the earth”. We caught up with Doan Thanh Ha to get some more details on this utopian project. The Plus: How any rooms are there? Doan Thanh Ha: There are 4 bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a multipurpose space, a worship space, and a work room. TP: What materials did you use and why? DTH: Concrete + brick, because these materials are very popular in Vietnam. TP: How did the idea for this design come about? DTH: I had this idea a long time ago and, in 2013, I used it for the Vietnam Expo Pavilion competition in Milano. TP: Why is architecture a good way to encourage sustainable development? DTH: For me, to encourage sustainable development is architecture’s mission. TP: How does this project compare to other projects by H&P? DTH: This is our approach to all our projects: going from context to concept.
