Vietnamese architecture firm a21 studio has created The Nest, a low-cost residence in an urban area of Binh Duong, a province just north of Ho Chi Minh City. Built for a middle-aged man on a limited budget, the firm utilized low-cost metal sheets and mesh panels along with used and found objects, creating a structure that was both easy to build and relatively cheap to implement.
In order to introduce an element of nature into a dense urbanized area, a21 conceived the house as a kind of planter. A mesh screen surrounds the exterior wall of the home, which functions both as a patio space and a kind of trellis for trees and curling vines to fill the inner and outer spaces of the home. The ground floor, comprising the kitchen and living room, is completely open to the elements without any walls, doors or windows, while the upper floor, containing the living quarters, is more enclosed for privacy.
In effect, the architects have created an urban dwelling exploding with natural vegetation, a kind-of green oasis in the heart of a bustling city. a21 hopes the house will serve as a kind-of prototype for other homeowners who are looking to create an amenable and tranquil space on a small budget. Read more from the architects to learn about The Nest:
“The house is designed for a middle-aged newsman who has been working for years for Vietnamese architectural magazines. The site is located at the outskirts of a new city with a variety of housing architecture styles in its surroundings. Therefore, both the architect and client came up with the idea that the new house should look green and contain natural vegetation but not compromise its comfort and especially should not be too differentiated from its next-door neighbors.
Within the client’s budget constraints, a light structure of steel and metal sheets is applied instead of bricks and concrete, as is usual for the neighborhood. Moreover, unused furniture, abandoned but still in good condition, is considered an appropriate solution for most areas of the home, which not only reduces construction costs but also lends the house a distinctive look, imbued with the beauty and serenity of old items that comes with age.
Without any doubt, using a steel structure not only creates a lighter foundation but also helps to shorten the construction period, which also saves costs. The house-frame is made by 90-by-90 steel columns and 30-by-30 steel beams connecting to metal sheets, which are then covered or filled in between by plants, so from a distance, the house appears as a green box. Among these “cool-metal” bars, the vegetation is defined.
The house is structured into two vertical parts, consisting of two private bedrooms on the upper floor, while the kitchen and living room are situated on the ground floor and are open to nature without any doors or windows. This placement blurs the boundary between inside and outside.
Furthermore, by diminishing the living space to contain only what is sufficient to live while leaving the rest of the space uncontrolled, the architect attempts to convey the sense that the natural environment outside feels as though it surrounds and embeds the space, as at any point in the house, the trees can be observed in their full beauty. In other words, the trees are used as the building’s walls, and the house aims to provide a variety of links between the trees and the home’s inhabitants.
The underlying idea for the house, above the organization of spaces and flexibility uses of structure, is the formation of a general housing concept allowing low-cost construction, which has recently attracted attention in Vietnamese society. By making the most of abandoned items and using the minimum spaces for living, people can easily create a comfortable house filled with nature and that is flexible for any future needs on a limited budget.”