Office in Vietnam beats the heat with its biophilic design
This building in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was built on a T-junction with an open view of a public park and square. That all sounds lovely, but there was a huge problem: the sun. There was just too much of it, turning the building into an oven. TAA DESIGN figured out how to manage this problem and found a way to do it sustainably.
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The two front facades of the Tony Fruit Office receive direct sunlight from dawn until dusk. That’s great if you love sunlight. However, it’s not great if you don’t want to feel like you’re being baked. TAA DESIGN used perforated geometry to create shade without compromising the views from the inside. The design creates new spaces for greenery, which creates a natural “skin” to filter the sunlight.
Related: New office building for Zara.com is an open space paradise
In fact, the plants form a blanket of protection around the building, and every single office has a view of the greenery beyond.
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Meanwhile, wood slats create cubes that form the needed shade, protecting the facade from diagonal daylight. The glazing on the windows also reflects light, deflecting heat to help reduce energy.
The building itself looks almost as if it is surrounded by a forest due to the trees and greenery poking out from every available spot. Further, they surround this incredible structure in green and remind everyone who sees it that, above all, nature must be honored. What’s the best way to manage the heat of the scorching sun? By turning to the natural world, of course.
Long ago, nature learned how to create shady, cool spaces. Designers are now learning how to follow this model to improve human working and living conditions. TAA DESIGN is a leader in this innovative, more sustainable approach to building design.