Stacking Roof House With Garden Blends with Context

Designed By: AD+studio.

Location: Thái Nguyên, Vietnam | Latitude: 21.56468 ˚ N

The surrounding context was the inspiration for the stacking roof and form of this house. Its steel frame truss roof creates large spans. Hence, making a connection with the surroundings.

Stacking Roof House is home to a young couple born in the 1990s.

House Location and Context

The house is in the city of Thái Nguyên, Vietnam.

Architects AD+studio found inspiration from the image of the red and green tile roofs of the houses in the area. From high, they seem to overlap each other in the context. Therefore, they found this impressive, and it became the influence for their materials.

The house looks like the typical, long, narrow city houses in the area from the street. However, once you enter the property, you realise that there is a cluster of three individual blocks. In addition, these blocks revolve around a spacious garden behind them.

Photo: DũngHuỳnh

The owners of the home have an introverted life. Hence, they love their peace.
As such, the house design reflects this. It creates a clear separation from the street and focuses on a tranquil garden interior.

“The STACKING – ROOF HOUSE is a story that respects the inherent peaceful atmosphere, strengthened and reprocessed on a more contemporary, liberal and youthful spirit.”
– AD+Studio

House Construction and Materials

The architects consolidate the concrete structure of the two main houses with the steel truss of the roof.

This steel truss structure allows them to create large spans and helps the client take advantage of the surrounding scenery. Also, it promotes the view of the garden on the ground floor.

However, it also allows them to increase the useable area of the first floor.

“It also creates a “stacking” building which gets along with the surrounding harmoniously.”
– AD+studio

The roof structure comprises “two parts switching from opacity to shield”. It is made from polycarbonate material. This material, along with the glass blocks of the façade, gives the home a translucent feel.

Photo: DũngHuỳnh

In addition, it creates a glasshouse for gardening.

The shielding part of the roof is in the form of coloured corrugated metal sheets and a glass ceiling.

“…two layers of coloured corrugated steel sheet above a glass ceiling generates convection currents, limits the heat going through spaces as well as keeps the sense of the structure frame”.
– AD+studio

House Design Approach

The glass blocks on the façade wall do not create much of a shield between the house and the sidewalk.

Photo: DũngHuỳnh

Greenery in an area of the old house creates a noise barrier.

“An area of the old house is used for greenery in order to create a space between the noise outside and the peace inside.”
– AD+studio

There is a narrow corridor between the public spaces at the front and the private ones behind. This corridor catches a glimpse of the garden. Hence, this strategy attracts the people’s curiosity moving through the space.

AD+studio uses the space compression method through the corridor. At the end of the corridor, there is a large, airy living and greenery space. Therefore, this method enhances the surprise of persons in the room.

This living and green space mingles together to become one. Therefore, it creates a calm, peaceful environment by combining a garden corner with an open space.

“For this work, the role of architecture will only be awareness and transition. The work is like a background that harmonises the scene, nature, and human beings, from which the owner – an animate entity – will write his own story.”
– AD+studio