Incredible Rock Office is Built From the Ground Up With Simple Stones
Posted By Andrew Michler On January 21, 2011 @ 6:01 pm In Architecture,Green Materials,Sustainable Building | 3 Comments
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Rock Office is a unique structure that sits on a precarious piece of land in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Commissioned as an architecture and construction office with an included gallery, the building expresses a playful minimalism [5]. The project’s use of simple materials like raw stone [6] contributes a surprising element that looks extraordinary at a large scale. The exterior, while only a couple years old, has the presence of a much older building, like a modernist reconstructed ruin [7].
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Designed by a21 Studio [9] to meet unusual circumstances, the wall system serves to create a low-cost, potentially temporary [10] building — the land lease will expire in less than ten years. The site’s soft ground also required a wide footprint. The gabion cages [11] hold unprocessed stones which make up the curving wall system. Concrete bond beams at two elevations keep the structure rigid and transfer load evenly.
A series of daylighting windows [12] set along the roof maintain interior ambiance without letting the hot sun in. The sparse interior emphasizes materiality [10] and form. The winding walls create for two intimate courtyards while defining distinct spaces that still connect visually.
+ a21 Studio [9]
Via Archdaily [13]
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/incredible-rock-office-is-built-from-the-ground-up-with-simple-stones/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/incredible-rock-office-is-built-from-the-ground-up-with-simple-stones/
[4] Image: http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/01/Rock-Office-25.jpg
[5] minimalism: http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=+minimalism
[6] stone: http://inhabitat.com/concrete-re-visioned-at-the-elegant-hanil-visitors-center/
[7] reconstructed ruin: http://inhabitat.com/sydney-transforms-waterworks-ruins-into-incredible-public-park/
[8] Image: http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/01/Rock-Office-2.jpg
[9] a21 Studio: http://a21studio.com.vn/Default.aspx
[10] temporary: http://inhabitat.com/category/materials/
[11] gabion cages: http://inhabitat.com/two-striking-urban-farm-buildings-made-from-salvaged-materials/
[12] windows: http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/01/Rock-Office-13.jpg
[13] Archdaily: http://www.archdaily.com/98410/rock-office-a21-studio/
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