This Vietnam-Based Architect Is Innovating His Practice Through Earth Materials

“The first condition of sustainability is that buildings need to have a long life.” So says Vo Trong Nghia in his new monograph, Vo Trong Nghia: Building Nature (Thames & Hudson). Since founding his namesake firm in 2006, the Vietnam- based architect has explored ways to do right by the planet, taking inspiration from—and forging lasting connections with—Mother Earth. Central to that mission has been his innovative use of bamboo, a durable, fast-growing, and readily available material that lends itself to large spans and sculptural forms. Nghia calls it “the green steel of the 21st century.” The firm’s recently completed Casamia Community House project on the outskirts of Hoi An, for instance, incorporates bamboo as a means to withstand the strong winds of its riverfront site, while the Castaway Island Resort in the Cat Ba Archipelago minimizes its impact on the beach, with poles that have been soaked in mud, smoked, then assembled using bamboo dowel nails and rope. “We design our bamboo buildings like machines, with parts that can be replaced if necessary,” says Nghia, who acknowledges that there are geographic and climatic limitations to the material. “Through architecture I want to protect our planet and reintroduce greenery into the city.” vtnarchitects.net —Sam Cochran