Vo Trong Nghia: Building Nature

A career-spanning, slipcased monograph in two volumes presenting the work of one of Asia's most thoughtful and innovative architects.

With rising populations around the world and the pressures of looming climatic catastrophe, the work of Vo Trong Nghia is a call for architecture to transform itself from a source of pollution to a reason for hope. Nor is this idea anecdotal: the World Green Building Council estimates that 39% of energy-related carbon emissions can be attributed to buildings. An awareness of architecture's responsibilities has permeated the profession in the developed world, while new ideas and solutions are coming from places where these issues are most acute.

Following a long recovery from decades of war, Vietnam has emerged as one of the most exciting centres of design Asia - led largely by the work of Vo Trong Nghia, born one year after the end of the Vietnam War, whose work has gained an international following. As a student in Japan, he s tudied under the minimalist architect Hiroshi Naito and encountered the work of the Colombian architect Simón Vélez, a proponent of bamboo architecture with its large spans and high, voluminous spaces - the ideas and teachings of both were to have a profound influence on his own designs.

The buildings of Vo Trong Nghia Architects, established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2006, make clear reference to these sources and influences of the past, and to Vo's own adherence to the Five Precepts of Buddhist teaching. The architect's two main themes - green architecture and bamboo as a building material - form the basis of this two-volume celebration of his work. From the Wind and Water Bar, his first foray into bamboo as a building material, to resort complexes, art installations and his game-changing series of residences, House for Trees, Vo Trong Nighia: Building Nature proves that green architecture creates local relevance, beauty and elegance in its own right.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

Volume 1

Introduction: Paths to Enlightenment / Philip Jodidio
01.1 / Binh Thanh House / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
01.2 / Farming Kindergarten / Dong Nai, Vietnam
01.3 / House for Trees / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
01.4 / A House in Nha Trang / Nha Trang, Vietnam
01.5 / The Babylon / Da Nang, Vietnam
01.6 / Binh House / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
01.7 / Atlas Hotel Hoian / Hoi An, Vietnam
01.8 / Stepping Park House / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
01.9 / Ha House / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
01.10 / Chicland Hotel / Da Nang, Vietnam
01.11 / Breathing House / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
01.12 / Thang House / Da Nang, Vietnam
01.13 / Viettel Academy Educational Centre / Hanoi, Vietnam
01.14 / Viettel Offsite Studio / Hanoi, Vietnam
01.15 / Ha Long Villa / Ha Long, Vietnam
01.16 / Bat Trang House / Bat Trang, Vietnam

Volume 2

Introduction: Connecting People with Nature / Philip Jodidio
02.1 / Wind and Wat er Bar / Binh Duong, Vietnam
02.2 / Bamboo Wing / Vinh Phuc, Vietnam
02.3 / Dai Lai Conference Hall / Vinh Phuc, Vietnam
02.4 / Kontum Indochine Café / Kon Tum, Vietnam
02.5 / Son La Restaurant / Son La, Vietnam
02.6 / Son La Ceremony Dome / Son La, Vietnam
02.7 / Nocenco Café / Vinh, Vietnam
02.8 / Bamboo Stalactite / Venice, Italy
02.9 / Castaway Island Resort / Cat Ba Archipelago, Vietnam
02.10 / Naman Retreat / Da Nang, Vietnam
02.11 / Huong An Vien Welcoming House / Hue, Vietnam

Rezension:

'While the monograph's lush visuals and tropical landscapes alone make it a worthwhile purchase, the book is, above all, a meditation on the transformative power of design' - Monocle