E.HOME DONG SAIGON-1
by Candice Lim

Part of the overall Khang Dien housing area at Phuoc Long B Ward, District 9, E.Home is an apartment project designed for low income earners (approximately VND5–8 million per month) living and working in Ho Chi Minh City. It attracted the special attention of the developer by meeting the required standards on technical infrastructure as well as other social facilities such as a community clubhouse, general surgery, playground, interior garden and so on. Sprawled over a site area of 10,235 square metres, the project has been a big design challenge for the architects, which actually came about from a design competition with specific parameters—economy, efficiency and ecology.

• Economy – Economy in the project management and execution.
• Efficiency – Efficiency in price and quality, in line with global infrastructure design and standards.
• Ecology – In terms of architectural design solution, technologies of construction materials, interior furniture and green areas. The design should also attach special importance to light, ventilation and users’ health and safety.

DESIGN CONCEPT
The scheme is made up of three building blocks, each approximately five storeys high, consisting a total of 312 units. The apartments are laid out in a U-shaped format, surrounding a garden. The development is designed to harmoniously maximise the use of greenery in the area. Some of the key components of the E.Home design include:

• Each block has two main entries, two elevators and two exit stairs, in compliance with the fire fighting and prevention standards.
• The corridors leading to the apartments are naturally ventilated and lit.
• The water and electricity meters are installed along the corridors and the floor lobbies for easy access.
• The apartment models:
  
  
  
  
  • Ground floor: apartments with mezzanines are incorporated with multi-purpose spaces, suitable to be used for business or as offices. The mezzanine consists of two bedrooms and the living room.
  • Floor 1–3 : apartments include two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and drying area. All units come with wide balconies.
  • Floor 4: mezzanines are added to enhance the surface area of use. They are designed for young couples who need more space. Some units have small penthouse-style terraces.

CONSTRAINTS
The challenges that the designers faced for this project include meeting the floor area ratio (FAR) required by the client; reducing the design and construction costs; and limiting the apartment area to 65 square metres per unit. To overcome such constraints, they standardised the size of each unit or apartment to reduce the design and construction costs. They also standardised the girder structure, and kept the column rate to less than 6.5 metres, which would also reduce building costs.

Table of Contents