Secondly, according to our intention to “update” the building in tone with the urban context, we added two new half-transparent filters. With one inside and another outside the original exterior wall, we transformed the space in-between the two layers into a “Loggia” that opens the inside to the surrounding townscape. As a result, the strong identity of the Ben Thanh Market area melts into the architecture and smoothly spreads into the interior spaces. The inside filter, inspired from the high-side windows of the Market, is a large glass-jalousie partition composed of about 1,000 pieces of tempered glass. It breaks the reflection image of the neighboring cityscape and changes its visual appearance with various conditions such as the glass angles, the sun direction, the weather or the seasons - inscribing the building in a slow rhythm. The outside filter, inspired from the steel fences that we can find everywhere in Saigon and re-composed of round steel bars of 4mm-diameter, is a very subtle fence that even swings with the wind. It not only enriches the space’s experience, but also gives it a slightly abstract effect to differentiate the “Loggia” from the building facade and the surrounding scenery.
Through this project, we realized that, in the context of the rapid modernization of Saigon, it is critical to be attentive to the city and its inhabitants, define what kind of “urban intelligence” we choose to highlight, and re-consider how to update our present and future times to flow in co-existence with its historical backgrounds.

#Vietnam , #restaurant , #glass

@revitalization