Architecture firm Tropical Space received distinctions in the categories of sustainable design and single family residential project at the Architects Regional Council Asia (Arcasia) Awards for Architecture in Tokyo last week.
The Terra Cotta Studio, which they designed in Quang Nam Province for a local artist, won gold in the sustainability category. The building resembles a traditional Vietnamese furnace while borrowing from traditional Cham design. The studio was constructed using brick and environmentally friendly materials. They used similar methods to erect the Long Thanh House in Dong Nai Province, which received an honorable mention in the single-family residential project category.
The awards are issued by Architects Regional Council of Asia, which is a regional organization aimed at promoting the work of architects while strengthening relationships between member parties and facilitating the sharing of artistic, educational, scientific and intellectual resources. They have honored 26 other Vietnamese designs in the past.
The Saigon-based design team was founded by architects Nguyen Hai Long and Tran Thi Ngu Ngon; and is "committed to the use of environmentally friendly building practices and sustainable material selection." They have received significant recognition for their work, including a recent Gold Medal at the Fritz Hoger awards for their termite house which draws inspiration from the subterranean-dwellings of one of the planet's most remarkable insects.
[Top photo via Dezeen]