A Model for Tropical Housing

Project: Termitary House, Vietnam Architects: Tropical Space Co. Ltd., Vietnam

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Inspiration: As builders in nature, termites do not have many tools at their disposal—just their bodies, soil, and saliva. For guidance, they have nothing to go on save variations in wind speed and direction, and the fluctuations in temperature as the sun rises and sets. Similarly, the Termitary House was built in a tropical country in which the weather is extremely different during sunny season and a rainy one. The climate is also influenced by a lot of tropical storms every year.

Structure and Solution for Stormy Season

The structure of the house includes many layers of brick walls with holes arranged randomly like a termitary, along with a large inter-floor space. These holes can be considered as vents that help the wind rotate inside the house and allows breeze and light to get to all corners of the building, creating a refreshing living environment.

The special constructing technique of “double skins” with two layers—one brick wall covering outside and one slide-glass inside— creates a space within a wall, which functions as a buffer layer at both gables. During stormy season, the second layer helps to block the strong wind and rain. Also, the buffer layer creates a fluctuation in pressure, pushing the wind to go straight towards the gap.