Back to a series focusing on individual modernist houses in Ho Chi Minh City.
This house is an interesting experiment in warping the usual rectilinear frame of Vietnamese modernist houses.
Vietnamese architects spend time reviewing site lines to make sure that design elements beyond the facade work well in the composition -- in this case the roof terrace trellis is an integral part of the warping of lines and fits right in, taking the eye back from the facade.
As is usual in Vietnamese houses, the ground floor facade has nothing to do with the design above. Ground floor facades are strictly commercial, and this one will eventually be covered with a commercial treatment that fits it particular use. When the typical Vietnamese house is only 4 meters wide (13.1 feet), there is no room for a separate entry to the house. These houses are typically entered through the commercial store to a stairway in the back.
