The peculiar geometry of a plot in Ho Chi Minh´s city centre became the starting point for Sanuke Daisuke´s design. Seven rooms on three different floors fit within a parcel forty meters long and five meters wide. The presence of public spaces was very important for the whole design to work out. The rooms are connected through a series of communitary courtyards, tiled terraces and semi exterior antechambers. These type of spaces are known as Lanais. They bring natural light deep inside the building, ventilate better and offer a higher grade of privacy. The thick vegetation helps this matter too.
A floor is added to the project when it reaches the street, making the building look massive from the outside and light from the inside. Moreover, as the plot is so narrow, a sequence of full and empty spaces is needed to illuminate and ventilate the central areas. Regarding the details, the apartment is finished with local materials, both the outside and the inside. The façade is made with different patterns of terracotta bricks combined into a lattice. This design comes in handy not only because is cheap but also because it provides a natural cooling system and helps ensuring the privacy and security of its inhabitants.