A Home That Breathes: Terracotta Breath in Vietnam
Perforated brick walls and planted courtyards define Terracotta Breath, a multi-generational home in Vietnam designed by architecture practice Live Out Studio. Located on a narrow plot in Da Nang, this innovative residence showcases how local materials and thoughtful design can create a living, breathing architecture.
The Concept: More Than Just Shelter
"The idea was to imagine a home that does more than shelter, a home that breathes, softly and continuously, through light, air, and the warmth of local materials," explained Live Out Studio co-founder Van Tan Quyen Le.
The house contains two separate residences – one for the family's parents and another for their daughter – cleverly separated by a narrow central courtyard that provides natural light and ventilation throughout the structure.
Material Harmony and Local Craftsmanship
From the beginning, the design embraced a single, harmonious material palette: clay-toned corrugated roof, handcrafted brick façades, bamboo shade, clay-rendered walls, and brick garden paving.
"Woven together like an earthy carpet flowing seamlessly from inside to out, this continuity allows the home to settle naturally into its setting, as if grown from the ground itself," Quyen added.
Spatial Organization: A Delicate Puzzle
Le describes the organization of the conjoined homes as a "delicate puzzle," with each having its own individual needs and feng shui orientation. Each home's living, kitchen and dining space occupies the ground floor, organized around two distinct staircases – one at the front finished in timber and clay plaster and one at the rear in folded, painted steel.
The parents' living room opens onto an entrance yard shaded by a bamboo canopy, while the daughter's overlooks the central courtyard through folding, timber-framed windows above a built-in bench.
The Signature Facade: Breathing Architecture
Terracotta Breath's perforated brick facade forms a double-skin for a ceremonial hall on the first floor of the parents' home. Here, a small balcony is sandwiched between the brick and sliding glass windows, allowing for natural ventilation to be mediated.
"These operable elements enable the architecture to respond continuously to changing conditions, creating shifting patterns of light and gentle airflow throughout the day," said co-founder Thi Anh Nguyet Tran.
Interior Continuity and Material Transition
The bedroom areas are finished in more neutral pale plaster, while the bathroom and kitchen spaces feature small terracotta tiles, with the whole interior unified by pale tiled floors on the ground floors and wooden floors above.
"This facade becomes the project's signature moment: a distinctive yet humble interface between the home, its occupants, and the surrounding laneway, quietly demonstrating how local materials and craftsmanship can shape a living, breathing architecture," Tran emphasized.
Context and Inspiration
Other homes in Vietnam recently featured include Kho Rèn House in Hue by M+TRO Studio, which is also sheltered by a facade of perforated brickwork, and the Earthenware House, which Naqi & Partners designed as a row of terracotta pots.
Terracotta Breath stands as a testament to how sustainable design principles can be beautifully integrated with local materials and cultural considerations to create homes that truly connect with their environment and occupants.
Comments
Join Our Community
Sign up to share your thoughts, engage with others, and become part of our growing community.
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts and start the conversation!