Duyen Casa II Lodge / Block Architects
Duyen Casa II Hotel / Block Architects
Text description provided by the architects. The house is located on a peaceful village street in the suburb of Cao Lanh city, Dong Thap province. The region is in Southern Vietnam, where there are large paddy fields and huge fruit gardens.
The house is on an area of 1000 sqm with two existent parts. At the front lays one with a tile roof alongside the area, and the other one is covered with metal sheets. The owner, having a tight budget, wants to renovate the place into a resort with basic facilities, simplicity, and long-standing features of the region.
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 earthenware curtains can prevent direct light from falling on the roofs below, thus reducing thermal radiation and making the entire house coherent.
Most of the bearing structures and partition walls are retained. Inside, some walls were removed and partitions for bathrooms were built. Along with the lobby, there are bedrooms with doors facing the East and looking out the front yard. The kitchen and public facilities at the back face the pool, making it suitable for indoor and outdoor parties. Finished materials and furniture are readily available in local factories, some being from the old house and reused.
