Architects: Le Quang Architects
Area: 250 m²
Year: 2022
Photography: Hoang Le
Manufacturers: Toto
Lead Architects: Quang Le, Man Minh Duong, Dung Manh Nguyen, Tung Thanh Nguyen, Hai Duc Le
Program/ Use/ Building Function: A House for 4 generations
City: Hội An
Country: Vietnam

A House in Quang Nam, designed by Le Quang Architects in Hoi An, Quang Nam, Vietnam. Reimagines traditional multigenerational living with a modern spiral structure. Completed in 2022, this innovative design replaces the typical tube house, offering interconnected spaces around a central garden to enhance family bonds and provide a microclimate solution. The house, built with ceramic bricks, supports sustainable living and climate resilience, reflecting the architects’ goal of creating more than just a house.

A House in Quang Nam / Le Quang Architects

The Vietnamese household traditionally follows an extended multigenerational pattern called “Tu Dai Dong Duong,” where parents, children, and unmarried siblings live together. This tradition has influenced the tube house, a variation of the traditional shophouse, shaped by land-ownership practices over the past 30 years.

Mr. Nhan’s inherited land, initially meant for three linear tube houses, was reimagined by Le Quang Architects into a spiral structure. This design integrates space blocks around a central garden, fostering a microclimate solution. The house accommodates four families: the grandmom and aunt, the parents, and two sons with their families. This setup encourages communal living, where residents share daily activities, strengthening relationships.

The main building is divided into three courtyards, distancing it from the traffic area in the south and reducing noise from the main road. Public spaces, including a living room, two kitchens, a laundry area, and an agricultural harvest space, face the central garden. This garden serves as a communal area for family activities and a welcoming space for neighbors.

The design gradually rises from the south to the north, allowing natural light into every room and regulating wind during the rainy season. The house includes a worship space, vital for Vietnamese families, accommodating demographic changes over time, such as births and deaths.

Cost-effective measures include reusing bricks from the old house and rubble for landscaping, increasing the permeable area. The entire house is built with traditional Quang Nam ceramic brick, which cools the building, releases heat, and keeps surfaces clean and dry.

This model aims to provide a sustainable solution for four-generation families in central Vietnam, contributing to long-term studies on climate change adaptation.