This university building in Hanoi weaves Vietnam’s tropical landscape into its checkerboard facade, with trees growing on every balcony. Designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, the recently completed FPT University administrative building is the first phase in a greater masterplan to convert the campus into a “globally competition environmentally conscious university.” The university is part of Vietnam’s largest technology park, the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, on the outskirts of Hanoi.

Completed early this year, the administrative building serves as a campus gateway and will welcome students, staff, and visitors with its tree-integrated envelope. “The building acts as a gateway to the campus and the green facade clearly dictates the future direction of the campus,” wrote the architects. The nature-infused project is characteristic of the architecture firm’s world-renowned style for bringing plants into buildings.
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Built of concrete, the asymmetric building is clad in prefabricated facade modules to cut down on waste and construction time. Building orientation and large windows optimize the flow of natural ventilation and daylight into the building, while trees on the balconies minimize solar gain. Accessible green roofs top the structure.
Via Dezeen
Images via Vo Trong Nghia Architects, by Hoang Le