Vietnam’s increasing urban densification has reduced the average amount of living area per person. This made the client’s key requirement for their new Ho Chi Minh City home both easy to understand and a challenge to execute: it must have private space for each member of their multigenerational household.
Designed by Cong Sinh Architects, the long and narrow Kaleidoscope home was cleverly bisected by a skylight-topped central stair. The floors on either side are offset, creating distinctly separate spaces for each family member to sleep and relax, in addition to more social living areas.
Measuring just 12.5-feet wide, but more than 130 feet long, the home’s stacked layout has something for everyone—even a pool on the ground floor for the kids. The second-floor bedrooms were designed to give the family’s more elderly members easy access to a private garden terrace and communal family rooms. The third-floor children’s rooms are divided by a shared study area, while larger bedrooms on the third and fourth floors provide a separate haven for adults. The roof even has a vegetable garden.
Natural light is another key feature of the home, with a dramatic slatted brise soleil defining its street-facing facade. But slatted screens and window slots are found throughout, artfully modulating the natural light.