This garden house grows enough food for three generations of one family

Vietnamese firm Vo Trong Nhia Architects are no strangers to bringing green space indoors, but their new Binh House can actually grow enough food for three generations of one large family. The architects were charged with creating a comfortable home with greenery on every level, and they responded with a lush design that balances communal family areas with individual spaces, all right in the middle of a busy neighborhood.

The concrete home, which is located in a high density neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City, is a large space that houses a family of three generations. Further challenging was the fact that many heavily populated cities in Vietnam are destroying natural tropical green spaces to meet the needs of the population. As part of the architect’s ongoing “House for Trees” series, Vo Trong Nhia Architects used the Binh House design to reconnect the family space with nature, creating a veritable jungle inside the home.

The home is a multi-level design stacked lush green spaces on every floor. Large sliding glass doors allow for optimal natural light throughout the home. The glass separations also help create an open space at the inner core of the home where family members can easily interact between the rooms.

The home is filled with green plants and large trees that shade the interior spaces, providing a nice, even temperature throughout the home. Additionally, the green spaces, many already vertical, offer flexible growing options for the large family.

To further reduce energy consumption, the service areas including the kitchen, bathrooms, stairs and hallways are located on the west side of the home. This strategy blocks the family areas from excessive heat radiation, helping cool the home during the hot summer months and reducing the need for air conditioning. Along with the greenery and specific layout strategies, building with sustainable materials such as natural stone, wood, and exposed concrete also help create the home’s pleasant microclimate.