Connecting Separate Generations | FAP 2023 Merit

CHALLENGES

Nam Dinh is a province in the south of the Red River Delta with a coastline length of 72 kilometres. Most of the province is rural—85 per cent rural population—with 33 per cent of the province’s land area taken up by agriculture. The coastal area of Hai Hau district is vulnerable to extreme weather events caused by climate change, such as sea level rises; saltwater intrusion; storms; post-hurricane flooding; and coastal erosion. Loss in biodiversity is also among the biggest problems today. In addition, ‘white pollution’ is becoming more serious, with garbage such as plastic bottles and bags washed up from the sea.

Although in recent years the family model has gradually shifted to a nuclear family formation, there are still many households with many generations living together under the same roof. As the country is entering an aging population period by 2036, the elderly will need more care. Twenty-five per cent of Vietnamese population in 2050 will be made up of elderly people, and approximately 36 per cent of them will face at least one functional difficulty.

SOLUTION

The proposed site consists of two main parts—the mainland (inside the dyke) and the coastline (outside the dyke). The proposal titled Gen-e seeks to help blur the boundary between generations with different backgrounds by providing a variety of interactive spaces, which are also designed to respond intelligently to climate change as well as support ecosystem restoration. The team proposes a spatial complex that tightly interweaves Nature and human lives to create a dynamic symbiotic living relationship, while meeting basic needs with water management methods and diverse renewable energy systems.

The scheme consists of a combination of small blocks arranged such that they will be interwoven with natural flora and fauna systems from the surroundings. Although new functions will be added to meet users’ needs and for community cohesion, the modular set-up will also retain the legacy from the existing area where agriculture and aquaculture activities take place.

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PROJECT DATA

Location
Hai Hau

Country
Vietnam

City
Nam Dinh

Site Area
48,000 square metres

Census

FUTURARC PRIZE 2023: MERIT

While Vu Ngoc Khanh and Pham Thi Trang are final-year students, Nguyen Khanh Son and Nguyen Trong Son are recent graduates of Hanoi Architectural University. With the gaining of specialised fundamental knowledge and the desire to learn new things, all the members strive for sustainability and apply methods to connect people with nature in every single design. They wish to create sustainable values for the community from a professional perspective.

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Read more stories from FuturArc 3Q 2023 Green Awards: Cross-Generational Architecture!