House in Quang Yen: Unifying Two Gardens

What is distinctive about this project is that the house itself takes up less than a third of the 735-square-metre plot of land—Nature has become central to daily living. The land originally belonged to the family’s elders with a flower garden in front, built by the grandfather, and a vegetable garden at the back, built by the grandmother. The residential project was thus created in the spirit of continuing this multi-generational legacy, as the architects have put it: “the house is the extension of the garden; the garden is the extension of the house.”

Living on the ‘half-moon’

The way the House in Quang Yen sits on the half-moon pond makes the water very much an extension of the common living area. The half-moon pond and the old garden are considered the spiritual heart of the house, the origin that inspires the overall architectural approach and design. This half-moon shape is repeated in the site plan with the house placed ‘squarely’ on the intersection between two half-circles. With the pond as the first half-moon, the second half-moon serves as an ‘inner’ yard that is considered to be an extension of the kitchen as it is equipped with a vegetable garden.

In terms of spatial programming, the inside has been tailored to the activities of its present owners, a retired doctor and teacher couple who are living with their sister and children. On a daily basis, the wife teaches mathematics for children in the neighbourhood who visit their house to study. Throughout the year, friends and relatives are often invited to large gatherings at the house. The ample ‘free spaces’ in the house serve these needs.

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