Completed Projects

Form and landscape relationship

From afar the house reads as a single, compact volume resting in the green; up close, recessed verandas and stone walls articulate its edges. Natural stone slices through the concrete mass to divide interior spaces while preserving long views toward the horizon. The interplay of solid planes and shaded recesses makes the building feel anchored to the terrain rather than isolated from it.

Verandas as environmental device

A deep, continuous band of verandas—created by an upper-level cantilever—wraps the main façades and functions as a climatic buffer. These outdoor galleries reduce direct sun, shelter against wind-driven rain, and temper exposure so daily activities unfold in half‑shade. Sliding glass doors turn the verandas into lived thresholds that blur the line between interior and exterior.

Light, void, and natural ventilation

Large concrete ceiling planes and tall openings capture and diffuse daylight from the verandas. A narrow entry expands into a bright communal room on the ground floor, which opens to the pool terrace and landscape. At the heart of the plan a double-height dining volume forms a central vertical void that organizes circulation, frames social gatherings, and drives passive airflow as warm air rises and draws cooler breezes through the lower level.

Orientation and spatial sequence

All primary rooms on the second floor face the fields to maximize views and steady daylight. Carefully placed openings promote cross-ventilation, letting fresh air sweep along verandas, bedrooms, and corridors. Movement through the house follows a clear sequence—compressed entry points and low overhangs give way to widening volumes and expansive outlooks—so each transition reveals a new perspective on the surrounding landscape.

Material and design intent

Concrete, stone, and glass are combined to create a restrained, durable palette that supports the villa’s formal clarity and climatic performance. Verandas, voids, and structural frames work together to keep family life attuned to changing light, weather, and the open fields beyond, continuing PAK’s exploration of how architecture can respond to climate and ground.

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The house is situated on a 1000m² plot, created by combining two subdivided villa parcels. The homeowner is a three-generation family,  the paternal grandparents, a young couple, and their three small children, envisioned a home that fosters inward-focused living and abundant greenery. The team of architects from SLA architect proposed to the homeowner a residence with a minimalist form, closed to the outside yet open to the inside. The concept of dividing the floor plan into nine square parts, reminiscent of a Chung cake with a central skylight, was conceived during the very first design discussion.

The rooftop functions as a vegetable garden for the grandparents, while also serving as a natural thermal insulation strategy for the building mass.  Due to the urban planning regulations, the two villa plots each have a designated building line, requiring the homeowner to choose between constructing the house on plot 1, located deeper within the site, or on plot 2, at the corner. 

The architect proposed placing the building mass on plot 1, in order to create a larger setback from the road. On plot 2, the garden and swimming pool are afforded the necessary privacy, not being overlooked by 3-4 neighboring houses. 

Furthermore, the garden benefits from the shading provided by the building mass, keeping it cool and protected from the harsh summer sun. This creates more opportunities for the grandparents to relax, and for the children to play and swim,… The southeast breeze will pass through the garden, drawing moisture from the two ponds, keeping the space cool and fresh. Dust and noise will be filtered through the large garden, preventing direct exposure to the house. The central glass skylight not only diffuses natural light but also acts as a wind trap, facilitating natural ventilation throughout the house. The design features a semi-natural swimming pool and koi pond on the east and south sides of the house, which increase humidity, create a temperature differential, and draw natural airflow into the skylight.

During hot days, the temperature inside the house significantly drops. The absence of air conditioning in the common living areas on the ground floor is a testament to the effectiveness of the natural ventilation solution. During the construction phase, friends and family were skeptical about the house being cool, as there were no neighboring houses yet to provide shielding. Once completed, the homeowner proudly showcased their natural 'air conditioning' system, activated by opening the skylight. To avoid limiting the skylight with structural columns at the four corners, the architect employed a box beam floor solution to span the distance. The homeowner took a bold step by choosing to use large, single-sheet glass panels instead of dividing the tempered glass into three sections as originally designed.

The 'infinity' skylight, the large chandelier in the basement, along with the water surface, light, breeze, plants, and fish, together create a striking atmosphere within the house. On the outside, the house is enveloped by a tropical garden featuring over 100 species of native Vietnamese plants. The garden surprises the homeowner with its remarkably low presence of mosquitoes and insects, despite the abundance of plants and water features. Traditional solutions were employed, including a semi-natural swimming pool, a biological filtration pond with aquatic plants and fish to eliminate larvae, as well as certain plant species with essential oils to repel mosquitoes. The garden and swimming pool have become the favorite spots for the children and cousins to gather every weekend

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Design intent

The client’s opening phrase — “peace” — guided the entire design. The house is conceived as a refuge where daily worries and work burdens fall away. Lam An Studio was entrusted to translate those emotions into a built form that sits gently on the land.

Site strategy and challenges

The villa is sited on a steep hillside, which required careful creation of level terraces that are both rhythmically stepped and practical to use while preserving key views for the main house. The design borrows elements of English countryside Tudor language to introduce a subtle architectural accent that does not disrupt the surrounding landscape.

Landscape and outdoor composition

A grassy play courtyard and a modest fish pond provide microclimate benefits and act as a large reflective surface that mirrors the building against the sky. The project follows a clear principle: maximize greenery, minimize built area. The result is a colorful, living tableau where Sundays feel calm and still, filled only with wind, the sound of water, and birdsong.

Materiality and atmosphere

Natural planting dominates the composition while construction is kept restrained so materials age gracefully and the landscape remains the protagonist. The overall atmosphere aims for quiet, restorative weekends and a strong connection to nature.

Studio note

Lam An frames architecture as a creative passion: spaces are designed to evoke emotion and to support a tranquil, slow rhythm of life.

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Concept and inspiration

TI60 was conceived from a simple wish: “home is where you return.” The house is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional family home, designed so that children who study abroad will always want to come back. Every architectural gesture reads like a mother’s story to her faraway children, preserving family memory across generations.

Client brief and design keywords

The client is a mother whose four children are studying overseas. She wanted a house that stores family stories, welcomes returning children, and remains a place she always longs to return to — in short, a modern traditional home. Two guiding keywords shaped the design: Gallery — a place to collect and display family narratives; and Indochine — an Asian aesthetic rooted in Vietnamese identity. The architects chose Modern Contemporary as the lasting style so the house gains emotional depth over time.

Design freedom and approach

The owner granted the architects full creative freedom over spatial organization, materials, and construction methods, even allowing experimental design–build solutions. Shared spaces flow into one another without rigid partitions, intentionally avoiding the feel of a conventional house and encouraging stronger family connection.

Spatial composition and focal point

The central feature is a double-height void with a reflecting pool at its heart. Returning family members encounter calm and serenity the moment they enter and see the still water. A handcrafted ceramic artwork suspended above the pool depicts a single drop falling into the water — a metaphor for the homeowner’s inner calm amid life’s changes. Instead of a closed library room, the third-floor corridor is transformed into an open family library, reflecting the household’s love of reading.

Materials and expression

Three primary materials — wood, stone, and iron — run consistently through the house in varied forms. The design team calls these the most “authentic” materials because they remain true to themselves and age gracefully, acquiring character and narrative with time. Materials are not decorative afterthoughts but the language of the architecture, clarifying intent and improving how people relate to the space. A minimalist, elegant aesthetic helps the home feel tranquil and fosters closeness among family members.

Details and program

Furniture placement and detailing were carefully considered. A spiral staircase rises gently above the pool and aligns with the ceramic artwork, creating geometric reflections on the water. The basement houses a music room, entertainment area, and home karaoke. The ground floor contains living and dining spaces. The second and third floors accommodate bedrooms, where arched openings introduce soft, curving lines into the house’s profile.

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Owners and brief

The house was commissioned by elderly owners whose son, an architect working abroad, provided a detailed brief. They sought a home that respects a traditional countryside lifestyle while offering modern comforts and sustainable features. Although located in a busy urban area, the site had to retain generous green space where the owners could personally tend plants rather than rely on a highly manicured garden.

Design intent and style

The project embraces tropical modernism, balancing open, naturally ventilated spaces with privacy and contemporary living. The brief called for clear separation between private and communal areas while allowing flexible use when family members return from overseas.

Concept and layout

The house is organized as two blocks linked by a central circulation spine and garden. The right block contains living areas and rooms tailored for the elderly owners; the left block accommodates bedrooms and spaces for visiting children. Interlocking voids and courtyards take advantage of the site’s proportions to bring in daylight, encourage cross-ventilation, and create varied sightlines. A mix of closed, semi-open, and open gardens connects functions and softens the building’s mass.

Materials and construction

Primary materials include natural rubble stone, wood, concrete, and wind cotton tiles, chosen for their durability and tropical character. Stone forms the structural base and two longitudinal walls that define the house’s core; concrete provides stability for the spatial frames; wood and rusted iron are used inside to contrast and modernize traditional stone construction. Transporting and shaping the rubble stone from Bình Định to Hanoi required close collaboration between architects and craftsmen. The façade facing the street is clad with wind cotton tiles to improve ventilation, insulation, and privacy.

Atmosphere and performance

Eaves and transitional spaces moderate light and temperature, reinforcing the tropical-modern intent. Gardens woven through the plan reduce the visual harshness of stone and concrete while creating intimate outdoor rooms. The result is a contemporary appearance that remains rooted in tropical materials and passive design strategies.

Credits

Architect: NGHIA-ARCHITECT

Lead Architect: Nguyen Tuan Nghia

Photography: Nguyen Tuan Nghia

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The habitat around this area is dominated by pine trees, which grow and cover several low hills and a strip of land close to the mountain. This makes a great background for small and medium-sized private villas or resort villas.

Tam Dao Retreat, as the name suggests, this is the refuge of a family of 3 generations. This land has been preserved for more than 10 years, all 52 large trees in the current land are preserved, surrounded by a solid green painted fence. From a distance, the villa looks like a grey rock existed for a long time, the construction area inside is also quite modest (only taking up 1/10 of the land area), that enough for the whole family to live in harmony with nature.

The villa has a minimalist design style, the combination of spaces around the trees. Two 1-storey blocks and a 2-storey block are connected by iron ladders and communication spaces with nature. The interior space is designed to maximize outwards to enjoy the entire surrounding context, the “cornerless” are made transparent by the large glass doors. Four bedrooms are located at the two ends of the villa, the common living space and the courtyards are designed in the middle to connect all members of the family. The surrounding landscape is composed of an infinity pool placed in the middle of a cluster of pine trees. On sunny or rainy days, this space is almost always stable in terms of natural feel, which makes people living in the house always want to go out to communicate with nature instead of hiding behind glass.

The entire interior of the villa is also selected to match the minimalist style of the whole villa, mainly in neutral tones. Stay on higher elevation, the villas is always quiet, creating a feeling of relaxation for anyone visiting or staying.

The view of respecting nature and the context agreed by both the architect and the investor has created the premise for TDR to have the spirit of "retreat". This is also a gentle attitude towards nature that Idee Architects has been pursuing in the process of creating a chain of resort villas in Vietnam.

Team: Tran Ngoc Linh, Nguyen Huy Hai, Nguyen Dac Nguyen, Vu Thi Thanh Tam, Nguyen Van Tu

Engineers: Nguyen Mạnh Dung, Nguyen Trong Hung

Photographer: Trieu Chien

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