Concrete house grows a mini-forest within its walls

File this under: Striking concrete houses that make cool giant planters. This striking residence in Ha Long, Vietnam was designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, veterans of lush concrete architecture, and has trees growing out of the windows and balconies.

The house is built as a pentagon within a pentagon. The faceted concrete facade is surrounded by an inner pentagon, and the semi-outer space in between allows plants to grow. This buffer space is about both the garden and the air conditioning. Shade and additional cladding protect the interior from Vietnam’s tropical climate.

Hiroyuki Oki

Inside the buffer zone, stairs lead from one tree-lined balcony to the other. As the trees fill every level of the house, the wood and concrete adorned rooms look out onto the immediate green growing just outside the windows.

“The main concept of the house is to create a space in which people can live in a forest,” writes the company. Fair enough, and we are eagerly waiting to see where the concrete jungle aesthetic leads next.

Hiroyuki Oki

Hiroyuki Oki

Hiroyuki Oki

Hiroyuki Oki