Vo Trong Nghia's Stacking Green House has been awarded Building of the Year 2012 by the American magazine Archdaily.
The Vietnamese architect was among 14 people to be awarded prizes lastweek in the US . He was also voted second favourite by the magazine'sreaders.
The Stacking Green House was a joint project by Nghia andtwo Japanese co-workers Sanuki Daisuke and Nishizawa Shunri featuring athree-storey house designed for a three-generation family to live in.
The house is a typical tube house constructed on the plot 4m wide and 20m long in HCM City's District 2.
The distance between the planters and the height of the planters can beadjusted according to the height of the plants, which varies from 25cmto 40cm.
"To water plants and for easy maintenance, we use theautomatic irrigation pipes inside the planters. We named this tropical,unique and eco-friendly house Stacking Green because its facade isfilled with vigorous and vital greenery," Nghia was quoted by VietnamNews daily.
The green facade and roof top garden protect its inhabitants from direct sunlight, street noise and pollution, Nghia said.
Furthermore, natural ventilation through the facades and two top-lightsallow this house to save lots of energy and avoid the harsh climate ofthe southern HCM City .
"Concerning these ecologicalapproaches, we referred a lot to the bioclimatic principles of atraditional Vietnamese courtyard house," said Nghia.
By popularvote on the architectural website Ashui.com, Nghia won Vietnam’sArchitect of the Year 2012. The Quang Binh native triumphed over twoother nominees after a four day public voting period.
A graduate ofJapan’s Nagoya Institute of Technology class of 2002, Nghia leads anaward-wining, self-titled practice known for its intricate bamboo andsustainable structures.-VNA
