Central Vietnam house inspired by a kite

Today, the 165 square-meter structure serves as both a residence and an English language school for young children.

Architect Phan Thanh Nam decided to design the house with beveled tile roofs resembling kites preparing to take off.

"Watching the children playing in the yard and the resemblance of kites will instill poetic feelings in the owner," the architect explained.

The construction is located in the central region of Vietnam which is known for its severe weather, and so Nam had to ensure that both the design and the technical requirements would be stable enough during the stormy season. Additionally, a combination of housing areas and teaching and playing spaces were needed to bring harmony to the structure.

The interior of the house. Photo by Nhu Loan

To realize the design idea, the kite image has been thoroughly applied in different parts of the design, from the facade to the strong diagonal cuts in the roof of the building.

In addition, adding the wall system is slanted in many directions, adding viewing angles from the entrance to the inside of the building, creating many different emotions.

The design team innovated the traditional three-room house plan to bring uniqueness and novelty to the house. This structure can be seen in the floor plan, where a large yard serves as a playground for children.

There are two blocks on the sides of the house: one residential and one for teaching. The residential block is designed with a three-room structure to retain the traditional family living style and bring convenience and also preserve rustic beauty.

The living space at the center is where the family gathers, relaxes and entertains. Bedrooms are located on both sides to create privacy.

In the classroom block, the owner uses the middle space as a reception area, which is convenient for receiving students. Two classrooms are arranged separately on both sides to bring convenience to students and fun to the lessons.

The house at night. Photo by Nhu Loan

Located on Vietnam’s central coast, which is known for its harsh weather, hot sun, rain and storms, the team of architects chose to have the structure face northeast to cope with the weather.

To prevent excessive heat from the sun, the two blocks were designed to slant toward each other to enable the shadow of one block to shade the other; therefore the house is almost blocked from direct sunlight. Furthermore, a series of large and small windows catch the cool breeze from the sea, keeping the inside cool even on the hottest summer days.

The roof system was stylized to resemble a kite and so is stretched across the top.

After the house was completed, it attracted attention not only for its unique architecture, and reasonable cost even for a rural family, but also because of the comfort and convenience in the spaces and the interior of the house.

The house was completed in 2020 at a cost of VND860 million ($36,000).