Agriculture Activities Used to be an Important part of Everyday Life

This house is meant for a married couple that has been living in this rural area since they were born. Agriculture activities used to be an important part of everyday life of the people around this area. This house thus features a rooftop farm, allowing for agri- cultural activities as well as to serve as a playground.  

Produce from the rooftop farm is used for everyday meals, and the client frequently shares surplus produce with neighbouring families, cre- ating an unexpected community social interaction. A typical house in the area is built at the cost of USD27,000. In comparison, the Red Roof House costs approximately only USD30,000, achieving the goal of architecture that is suitable for modern lifestyles but at a very reasonable cost. 

Vietnamese traditional landscape is characterised by the ter- racotta roof, ‘the red roof’, the serenity of the relationship between human and nature, and of children playing in the rice fields and in the yard with chickens. A courtyard in the middle of the house establishes a close relationship with nature and the surrounding context from within. This is the place to raise a few chickens along with cooking on the traditional wooden stove. A certain level of transparency is proposed between spaces, to encourage the oc- cupants to interact, and light is invited to come into every part of the house.

Project Information

Project Name: The Red Roof

Architect: Nguyen Van Thien, Vietnam

Location: Quang Ngai, Vietnam