Hoang Thuc Hao

Pottery Museum in Bat Trang ancient village, (Long Bien, Hanoi, Vietnam)
Design: 1+1>2

Could you share with us your journey to architecture ? 

Back in the day, I had not known much about architecture. I liked history and reading about it more. Not until late

highschool, I started to know about it from my father. He used to be a lecturer in the Interior department; however, he

directed me to study architecture because it is broader and more comprehensive. 

Who is the world’s architect that inspires you the most? 

As my knowledge grows broader, I have become more mature and my thoughts keep on changing, I have names that mark a particular period of time along the way. Even so, I would say Le Corbusier is the one that really has the greatest impact on me, until now. Having the chance of visiting, working and

experiencing at the sites and constructions of world class

famous architects, Pritzker for instance, I dearly still have a special admiration for Architect Le Corbusier. 

In Vietnam, I show my respect to architect Vu Van Tan. He earned the summa cum laude in the class 14 – the most

talented class of National University of Civil Engineering (NUCE). With great effort, he did all the hand-sketching

designs and also presented technical design documents to the world. The result was that he had obtained many
world-class awards. Back then, those awards were very unique but he could manage to earn some of them, it is something to be overwhelmingly proud of. Unfortunately, He passed away at the very young age of 37. He was a very dear friend of my dad.

Why have you decided to design architectural construction for the community? How meaningful is it to you?

Everything comes to me naturally. When I was in university, I used to work on many public projects.

In my third year, I visited Bat Trang village in Hanoi, specialising in pottery, to do research for a project that I took part in an international architecture competition for students. Unfortunately, I failed. Not until 1994, my project of renovating and conserving Bat Trang into an eco-village won an international prize. I wanted to return the soil what belongs to it.

Bat Trang back then was actually an eco-village, we proposed to conserve the old village simultaneously with developing the living and production areas to create new structure. In which, gradually replace abandoned factories, re-organise the stream and ponds, re-grow trees, and recycle waste into building materials. They were using wooden kilns so we came up with the idea of using excess heat to dry wood to save energy. 

The second project was Tolerance Square in the area of Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi.

When all trophies and prizes were only on paper, I wanted to really lay hands in doing something real, a community-gathering house. It was just because it is the easiest place to build. This place is just like the meaning of the temple in each village in our culture; all that cultural content is accumulated there. If I chose to build a normal residential house by using dirt and bamboo, it would be very difficult to win them because who knows if they have ever been in that form of architecture. By using my own expense, I could apply any material that I found appropriate. Still, I used bamboo and dirt because of its familiarity to the locals.

To me, the countryside is the birthplace of Vietnamese culture. Should you want to introduce our architecture, you ought to begin with architecture in rural areas. Before all the urban areas in our country were built by the French, we were incapable of doing so because of the lack of time in creating our identity and civilisation. The community hall or communal house is a multipurpose public space. I want to introduce my architecture to the world through this niche path with a built instead of a contest plan.

What do you value the most in building a place for the

community?

To be, communal architecture has 2 aspects. First, I want to create a space for the use of the community and secondly, I build it because of them. Both of what I do are the responsibility of an architect; however, the core values of each province and community resources are valued. Our office name “1+1>2” is from this concept, in the meaning that I want to integrate our work with the autochthonous factors to create more value. By the communal evaluation and their efforts when joining us to construct a project, they could deliver the resources into our works.

As an architect, it is necessary to spot out the needs of the people and the potential of the local for future development, such as tourism, handicrafts, etc…Even for some disadvantaged places, we should try to find a vision for it. This is why the communal house is difficult to operate. Mostly in every province, they pay attention to the adaptation of the village hall. It should be a place to gather people on various occasions. In many places, the local authorities are inactive, so it is essential for charity organisations to be a part of it. It is a chance for us to learn about volunteering from it. Not until then, the life of the communal house begins.

Na Khoang classes, Tu Nang ward, Yen Chau district, Son La province, Vietnam
Design: 1+1>2

Throughout some of your projects in different provinces so far, it is shown that 1+1>2 has had many opportunities to try on some new materials, carry out and execute methods. How do you evaluate the journey of learning and practising earnestly through your works? 

Because of the human nature in each one of us, constantly learning and innovating is a must. Inspiration comes when we learn and practise all at once. 

To me, architecture is the quintessence of the land, in both figurative and literal meanings. In each region you find different topography, climate and culture, architects are required to be versatile. Our projects are rarely designed in the same approach. We work directly with the locals to get to know and understand clearly the characteristics of their materials and building techniques.

I remember when we started working on our project in Suoi Re, Hoa Binh province. The Muong people have been using dirt, rock and bamboo to build their own homes. We tried to make rammed-soil walls using various methods. We had zero experience in making this kind of wall. We had done many experiments to see which is the best way to craft the wall. We tried using purely 100% dirt, a combination of rock and lime, a mixture of soil with sand and lime, sometimes with straw…

For the bamboo frame, we also sampled with many options. This project was built for the community, the expense was quite limited. In addition, bamboo is an expensive material, as a result, we came up with the idea of using bamboo in combination with other materials, which could ensure the aesthetics and safety but economical.

Or as in another project which is Ta Phin Community House in Sapa. The climate is ideal for pines to grow, a typical product that people tend to exploit by collecting the core of the tree. The remaining is pine bark, which usually becomes waste. At the beginning, we had tested many materials for this project, such as bamboo or wood. And accidentally we had decided to utilise the pine bark and the outcome was a success. We were lucky enough that we could use up wood from old houses in that area. 

None of our projects is identical. For the Cam Thanh Community House in Hoi An, the structure was built by using unbaked stone brick with bamboo frame and coconut leaves. The other one in Na Khoang we created bricks out of pebbles and soil. 

What difficulty have you faced in order for the community to accept your architecture?

The architecture for the community is a vast field which includes almost everything. Not only community houses, it can be a compound for workers or a school for poor people, a nursing home or a bridge that crosses the stream on the mountain, a resettlement area for minority people, a local health centre or a dormitory for students, ect…

I came to realise that architecture itself cannot resolve the issue. For instance, with community house projects, the struggling part is the operation. In fact, we had conducted many surveys to find out why many village halls are managed in the same way and ended up closing, some places were even abandoned. Aside from architectural factors, most of those places had poor standards, and people who worked there received a minimum salary, not to mention in neglected areas.

I think the community house should have regular events or activities. In Suoi Re, the old kindergarten was located in the lower valley, often flooded, making it difficult to operate the school. Then we suggested including it inside the communal house area. It was a very practical solution to bring life to the house, and this is indeed beyond architecture. 

We are the creator of the project as well as the bridge that connects financial, designing and implemental resources together. If we want people to join, we must take the lead. If we could put our creations in reality and prove its effectiveness, overtime, more and more individuals or organisations would want to join the process. The more we do, the more exciting it will be. Some of our material suppliers have helped us in many school projects for mountainous children. Many locals participated and offered us assistance because they acknowledge that it is for the future of their children.

Gradually, it has become a mutual sharing thanks to our commitment.

What do you think about local materials and the sustainability of architectural work?

Basically, local materials always provide sustainability. 

In Vietnam, there are countless constructions using local materials and have existed for hundreds of years. The roof is the most delicate part to preserve since it is mostly constructed by a system of leaves. Given great variety and accessibility of current building materials, coupled with advanced construction technology, I think architecture could stand much longer. The issue of sustainability should now be considered from the aspect of energy consumption of each architectural work.

Few years ago you mentioned “ happiness architecture” philosophy. How is it now? 

The first time I mentioned this definition of “happiness architecture” was in 2015, it has been almost 7 years that I have practised it. To 1+1>2, “happiness architecture” can be summarised as preserving the diversity of culture and daring to try.

From the beginning, I have personally been trying to avoid repetition in thinking and sketching. To me, architecture represents culture. This way of thinking and doing follows me daily. Over time, I and my colleagues mostly want to draw out something new, try something new. In reality, each project that we carried out is very unique. This is our happiness, happiness in a sustainable way, happiness every single day because we always see the good, the new for creation, to pursue. This is the required condition for me.  

History has shown us clearly that each place has a voice and beautiful tradition. Time after time, when the urbanisation has taken place, these qualities started to fall out, which happens everywhere in the world, not only in Vietnam. If we look deeper, we can easily see that in European countries such as England, France, Germany…their urban areas occupy very little compared to other parts of the world like China, India, Africa, South America or Vietnam where there was no concept of architecture. Every ethnic has created their own architecture and it is really magnificent. Modern architecture is usually found in city areas. Former western capitalist countries brought urbanisation concepts to wherever they had been to. This has created the gap between traditional and modern architecture. It is hard to say which is better, in fact, I could say modern architecture cannot compare to traditional one. If architecture is the form, the essence of culture is not inherited, this modernity could be very bland.

When we find that we should be responsible for the preservation and nurturing of culture, we want to create more spaces for the poor and minority people, give them voices, inspire the way to care and utilise their communal houses. They could see their reflections, their responsibility to continue and conserve the charge of an architect. This is the progression of sustainable happiness.

To be more specific, what is the happiness that 1+1>2 earns from each project?

Our happiness is pretty simple but significantly meaningful to us and the community that we work with.

When we started our Communal House project in Nam Dam in Ha Giang province, there were many swallows. The locals have been living peacefully with them all along, they consider this bird as a symbol of fortune. From this belief, we designed the roof of the community house as the shape of the swallow’s wing; they were very into this idea; even though it was only based on a story. Most of the materials were from the area, constructed using their techniques so that the place appears to be their own work of art. This was the opportunity that drew tourists’ attention. People there have learnt our way of constructing and after they could actively create their own places. There are many beautiful constructions built by them. Homestay projects gradually take place , blending in with the authenticity of the village. 

Nam Dam community house in Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province, Vietnam. Design: 1+1>2

We feel extremely content to receive their happiness through their stories, their ways of building a house, the way that they cannot make a mistake after learning the technique, through the pure desire of doing something they love.

What has changed in you and what has stayed? 

I guess it is myself that has dramatically changed over time. To me, there is no prodigy in architecture as we are constantly growing. Having experienced and been through many circumstances really helps me mature, especially when doing cultural and community projects.

For the part that remains, it is my determination to preserve cultural diversity. This will grow older with me along the way as I constantly experience and practise.

As an architect, the head of an office, a teacher as well as an activist in an architectural working organisation in Vietnam, what are you expecting from the Vietnamese architects? 

I have involved in many social projects. Looking back, I still find those ideas interesting and valuable. I guess that I was born to do this, it is my nature or else I would not think that I could do it until now.

There was a slogan “Architecture is a subject of social art”. It was not until I started with the project in Bat Trang village that I began to understand little by little about this quote. The more I do, the more I learn from it.

In Vietnam, it is crucial that architects can raise the awareness of the community about architecture, which also includes cultural elements and long term cognitions. In Europe, It is rare to find any deficiency in their architecture. It is simply because they have the right respect of cultural identity and strong social perception. The architect is the one who orientates the social consciousness about architecture.

Therefore, critical thinking and architecture-related communication are crucial. In order to do this, the architects themself have to know certainly about the people, the community and the culture of the place they are working at and always show people their support.

What are you and your partners aiming for in future community projects?

To us, it is to get over our shadow. 

Community projects should gradually improve in reasonable prices, operating speed and socially voluntary participation. As for the diversity of our projects, at the beginning, we kicked off with community houses, then moved on to schools, village of meditation, housing for workers, ect…we would like to try to design more projects as for instance a community centre of organic agriculture, planning the animal husbandry system in order to ensure the energy and environmental aspects.

Architect Hoang Thuc Hao visited the construction site of Bo Kieng school campus (Yen Chau, Son La)

With the diversity, I believe that everyone will have this excitement of creativity. We have several attempts on how to improve the quality of baked brick with the aim of weight reduction, portability, scientific construction and land-saving factors. That is a promising outcome.

What would you like to ask the to-be-architects? 

A recent matter is personally wondered and self-questioned. That is the constant change of technology while humane limitations exist. Those architectural concerns are hard to beyond the unstoppable technological development; specifically, it is the construction technology and building materials that facilitate living standards and become user-friendly. 

With the absolute technological modernisation, the future scenario is undeniable to imagine the possibility of employing AI in practising building areas; importing data input enables a myriad of accommodation products. The management bodies would meet the convenience in governing, scientifically handling, logically organising to some extent. That is the first thought. So the question is what will the nature of architecture become in the future, I wonder?

Thank you very much for your valuable sharing!