Vietnamese Modular Community

Resolving the congested and overpopulated ‘back of house’ spaces and turning building services into an architectural element is one of the drivers for the project. The mixed-use building features commercial space on the ground floor, followed by vertical domestic spaces similar to those in Vietnam – where a small community who reside in Shoreditch are originally from. Lastly, the Temple acts not only as a place of worship but a cultural centre that opens up the close-knit community to the rest of the site.

The modularity of the housing units ties in with the building skin that allows for an open plan interior whilst creating a performance on the exterior of organised building services that invert the original run-down spaces and create a community focused middle area in the courtyard.

Over time, the building will be able to adapt and grow, introducing modules as families become larger or as technology develops.

Key Points:

- Modularity and the option for residents to be able to customise their space as the building grows over time

- Sustainability through the roof garden and certain elements that help utilise natural energy to power the building whilst supporting a theme of prayer and religion in the lives of Vietnamese immigrants

- The idea of a grid, in the building skin (vertically) as well as on the roof garden, taken from the earlier project as a means of assigning domestic spaces to occupants and discovering the relationships of the residents to the spaces