This project is a hotel construction, with a land area of approximately 95m2, located at the end of Nội Miếu alley in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Finding this place may not be easy as the hotel’s facade is even partially obscured by the neighbouring construction.
Photo: Triệu Chiến
The investors – they appreciate the sense of irregularity in the narrow alleys of Hanoi. These alleys are mostly formed when the original space of the Old Quarter is transformed by social history. Each house encroaches on the shared space bit by bit, gradually adding twists and turns to the alleys. A similar phenomenon can be observed in collective housing areas, where the system of steel-framed balconies was once considered a lifeline for expanding the living space of residents. Within these twists and turns, people still manage to find their own small pockets of space without losing their connection to the community and society. That is the mindset behind the design of this project.
ARB Architects
Diagram
Photo: ARB Architects
The hotel is a composition of multiple distinct spaces intertwined with communal areas. From the outside, the architectural block stands out, elevated higher than the surrounding context, resembling a stack of small houses. Inside the interior space, each individual room feels like a separate home, connected by a system of corridors that evoke the sense of continuity from Nội Miếu alley within the heart of the Old Quarter in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Groud floor.
Photo: ARB Architects
The Old Quarter of Hanoi is a unique experience, and we aim to create a sense of that vibrant street atmosphere when you return to the hotel, as if coming back to your own neighbourhood. Yet, even within the very place you stay, you feel like stepping into a smaller street rather than a conventional building. Everything around, both inside and outside the hotel, including the neighbours who may be just a few steps away, there exist these small, intimate pockets of space that are delicate and whimsical, yet filled with emotions.
Architect Nguyễn Hà / ARB Architects
