Project: Pi House
Architects: D&P Associates
Location: Bgoc Thuy, Vietnam
Area: 6,888 sf
Year: 2021
Photographs by: Hiroyuki Oki
Pi House by D&P Associates
The Pi House in Vietnam, designed by D&P Associates, is an interesting housing project that is inspired by the Pise Wall of ethnic groups living in northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam. The owner of the house is a French gentleman who has lived and worked in Vietnam for nearly 30 years, and has a deep love and passion for Vietnamese traditional art and culture. The house is a beautiful combination of modern Western architecture and the traditional beauty of Vietnam.
The house is located on the Red River’s side, which has many historical and cultural values. To take advantage of the prime location overlooking the river and Long Bien Bridge, the house is designed with many large transparent glass windows in French modern architecture, which filled the house with natural light in the daytime and airy in the nighttime.
FVA named this interesting housing project Ο House because the whole house looks like from a distance Pi Archimedes constant in geometry. And the biggest inspiration to make the house is Pise Wall. The design concept was inspired by the owner of the house – a French gentleman who has lived and worked in Vietnam for nearly 30 years. He has a deep love and a great passion for Vietnamese traditional art and culture. The house is a beautiful combination of modern Western architecture and the traditional beauty of Vietnam as desired by the owner.
The House is inspired by Trinh Tuong House (Pise Wall), a unique architectural identity of ethnic groups: Mong, Ha Nhi, Tay, Dao Tien,…living in northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam (HaGiang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Lang Son, Cao Bang,..). The pise wall is constructed completely by hand by compressing earth to be an even, flat cubic shape, nonsteel frame but very safe and steady. This ancient construction technique has created the walls with an appealing look in the typical earth-red color. Every inch of the wall was covered by colorized plaster by hand with much effort to render the color of the Pise wall.
Rustic brick – a similarity between traditional Vietnamese and French architecture is used to bring a sense of coziness and harmony to art decorations. By creating a new arrangement of rustic bricks, we have brought a modern, elegant, and deluxe beauty to the interior of the house. The House is on the Red River’s side, which has many historical and cultural values. The river has witnessed and contributed to the thousands of years of history of formation and development of the capital: Thang Long – Dong Do – Hanoi.
Taking advantage of the prime location overlooking the Red River and Long Bien Bridge, the house is designed with many large transparent glass windows in French modern architecture, which filled the house with natural light in the daytime and airy in the nighttime. Homeowners can enjoy a view overlooking the Red River without being obstructed when surrounded by a cool natural landscape. The ground floor was designed to be a relaxing space for the homeowner with a pool in the front. The 1st floor is an area for joint family activities and receiving guests. The 2nd floor is the private space for each family member.
Dispersed throughout the rooms on the 1st floor are the artistic ornaments. The interiors with colorful accents make the space look lively and appealing. The void area from the 1st to the 2nd floor and the great view of the waterfront give the feeling of spaciousness and generosity.
