Before implementing any alterations to the standing brick kiln, Saigon-based architects Tropical Space observed the kiln worker's daily rhythms. After observing how their working, walking, sitting and resting habits interplayed with the light, wind and temperature, they designed two 5.4-meter-high folded brick walls that create three separate areas that accommodate routine tasks and visiting guests.

An external experiential zone along the straight outer wall invites guests to interact with the craft and make their own clay souvenirs. The innermost zone is used as the daily workspace for the kiln employees. The walkway that connects these two areas displays unfinished and broken pieces, brick slag, and leftover materials, showcasing the full, messy process to those exploring the kiln.

In addition to learning about the process for forming, firing and finishing terracotta bricks, guests will gain a new appreciation for brick as a building material. The new walls contain geometric holes and open bases that allow refreshing breeze to sweep in from the nearby bamboo groves. These gaps in the walls also provide views of the craftspeople adding fire and charcoal in the kiln and removing finished products, encouraging visitors to appreciate how the smoke sashays into the sky and shadows slump in the late afternoon.

Video of Lê Đức Hạ's workspace and the newly embellished kiln. Video via Lê Đức Hạ Terra Cotta YouTube account.

This 2024 project in Điện Phương comes after the architecture team designed a cubic studio for artist Lê Đức Hạ on the same plot of land near the Thu Bồn River. Situated near a Chăm capital dating back to the 4^th Century, the workshop's brick and bamboo design takes inspiration from the former empire's architectural style. Seen together, the new walls surrounding the old kiln and the studio exist harmoniously with geometric garden plots and trees along the river bank. 

Have a look at the fabulous structures below:

[Images via Archdaily].