block architects drapes this duyen casa II lodge with a fragile brick ‘curtain’

a hotel renovation in vietnam

in a suburb of cao lãnh, a southern vietnam city filled with lush vegetation and sprawling fruit gardens, block architects completes its duyen casa II hotel. the project results from the renovation of an existing house which was organized with an L-shaped plan. transforming the structure, the design team introduces a swooping new roof of ornamental brickwork which encloses the long wing. this space houses the five guest suites of the boutique hotel while the short wing is enclosed with a sheet metal roof, expressing the origins of the building. 

images © quang dam

the delicate brick facade

with its duyen casa II hotel project, block architects (see more here) works with the local craftspeople of the vietnamese village. the team comments: ‘we started with visiting handicraft villages, getting to know local building materials so that we could find a solution to the design and the suitable building materials. inspired by knitting techniques in handicrafts, we use tiles, round steel bars, and bricks to knit smooth curtains to cover the two parts of the house.’ these seemingly delicate ‘earthen’ curtains define the facade and act as passive cooling sunshades.

the organization of block architects’ duyen casa II

designing the duyen casa II hotel and renovating the existing house, block architects retains most of the bearing structures and partition walls. the lobby and guest suites open widely east to look out toward a palm-lined front yard, while a communal kitchen and shared area face the pool. the compact hotel includes three bedrooms which sleep two each, and two ‘dorms’ which sleep five each. while finished materials and furniture are sourced from local factories and workshops, the renovation integrates materials which had been left over from the original house and reused.