Nu Village - a reconstruction project preserving the Tay architectural identity.

Following the devastating flash floods in September 2024, 37 households in Nu Village, formerly Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province, completely lost their homes. Just under three months later, a new Nu Village was built approximately 2 km from the original location, enabling residents to gradually stabilize their lives.

The new Nủ Village project has received the Gold Award at the 2024-2025 National Architecture Awards organized by the Vietnam Association of Architects. The project is the brainchild of architects Hoàng Thúc Hào, Nguyễn Xuân Ngọc, Vũ Xuân Sơn, and their associates at 1+1>2 International Architecture and Construction Joint Stock Company, in collaboration with the Institute of Architecture, Planning and Construction, and the Department of Construction of Lào Cai Province.

Architect Hoang Thuc Hao, the project leader, said that after the flash flood in Nu village, upon receiving information that the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee was coordinating with Vietnam Television to mobilize social resources to build a resettlement area, he proactively messaged the provincial leaders to offer his free design services. The very next day, the province held an online meeting between the Provincial Chairman, Vietnam Television, and design and construction experts to discuss preparations.

From the outset, the project aimed not only to build houses, but also to rebuild a complete living community, including housing, infrastructure, schools, community centers, and livelihood development outside of agriculture such as tourism, handicrafts, and services.

Nu Village after completion. Photo: Pham Chieu

Architecture is born from community consensus.

To select the site, Lao Cai province invited geological experts to survey many locations. Several initial sites were rejected due to the potential risk of landslides during prolonged heavy rains. The final location chosen was a hill covered with sim trees, an open area, away from the foot of high mountains, limiting strong winds, ensuring natural drainage, and offering a wide view – an important factor for the long-term settlement of people in the highlands.

Spanning approximately 10 hectares, the architects proposed respecting the natural terrain and minimizing land reclamation. Roads are designed to follow the contours of the landscape, with intersections featuring small courtyards that also serve as communal spaces for viewing the scenery. The houses are arranged at varying elevations, creating a diverse and varied environment. Internal roads run along the village's topography, ensuring natural surface water drainage. Existing vegetation and rhododendron hills are preserved, laying the groundwork for future ecotourism development.

The next major challenge was designing housing that was both structurally sound and quick to construct, while still preserving cultural identity and ensuring a high quality of life. Architect Hoang Thuc Hao said he invited structural engineers and materials experts to research suitable solutions. In just one week, the team agreed on a design for an improved Tay stilt house with a two-story prefabricated concrete structure.

Traditional Tay stilt houses are made of wood and have surrounding verandas. However, with the increasing scarcity of natural wood, the design team had to research new materials and adapt the space and spirit of traditional architecture. The houses and community centers incorporate the distinctive "four-walled" stilt houses of the Tay people in Bao Yen, Lao Cai. The space includes a main house and an auxiliary building housing the kitchen and toilet, connected to the front and back gardens, with each house having a total area of approximately 850 to 1000 m2.

The newly built stilt house inherits the wide, flared roof and three bays; the main staircase is placed on the side according to spiritual beliefs. The lower floor is an open space, serving as a small community area, for handicrafts, or for welcoming tourists. The upper floor is the living space, with four main concrete pillars replacing the wooden ones. The steel roof frame is designed in the style of traditional wooden trusses, ensuring both durability and maintaining the familiar form of the Tay stilt house.

The participatory design process is a highlight of Nu Village. The stilt house design is presented, feedback is gathered from the villagers, and adjustments are made before mass implementation. During construction, many details are further refined to reflect the villagers' actual living habits.

According to architect Nguyen Xuan Ngoc, Vice President of 1+1>2 International Architecture and Construction Joint Stock Company, the functionality of the houses was adjusted based on feedback from residents, such as moving the kitchen to the side room and placing the toilet at the back of the house for convenience. Based on community opinions, the village space was organized into 3 to 5 small hamlets according to traditional customs, clustered together according to the natural terrain. At the center are the community house and school, where the market is held, cultural activities take place, and sticky rice cakes are made during Tet (Lunar New Year).

The houses in Nu Village are built using simple materials that are easy to maintain and replace. Photo: Pham Chieu

Rapid construction but without compromising identity.

According to architect Nguyen Xuan Ngoc, the biggest challenge is the deadline. Within a short timeframe, the design team must come up with a fast and efficient construction solution and select materials that residents can easily maintain and replace later.

To shorten construction time, engineers created a foundation system based on the principle of tree roots, with components embedded deep into the ground to increase stability, reduce costs, and speed up construction. The house uses prefabricated columns, beams, and floor panels manufactured in the factory, transported to the construction site for assembly, meeting the rapid construction schedule. The roof uses lightweight steel trusses and corrugated iron sheets with a tile pattern, ensuring both traditional aesthetics and suitability for the schedule and ease of maintenance.

The beam ends and column supports utilize the structural characteristics of wood, creating prefabricated components that inherit the style of traditional stilt houses. The beams, columns, and rafters are painted in a wood-brown color, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere. An initial suggestion of faux wood paint was considered but not chosen due to high long-term maintenance costs; instead, the common brown color was chosen for its ease of maintenance and cost-effectiveness.

Architect Nguyen Xuan Ngoc said that the unit mobilized its entire office, with 15 young architects working continuously day and night to complete the drawings. Some former employees also volunteered to participate and contribute to the community project. With a similar scale, the design process usually takes about two months, but this project was completed in less than a month. Similar constructions typically take 6 to 9 months, while the Nu Village project took less than 3 months.

The entire process took place simultaneously under conditions of design, production, and construction. While the site preparation team was working on the ground, the architects were simultaneously finalizing the detailed drawings. Many afternoons and late evenings, the parties involved still held online meetings to resolve any issues.

The new Nu village is situated on a hill with an open view. Photo: Pham Chieu

Architect Hoang Thuc Hao said that the villagers of Nu often visit the construction site, eagerly awaiting the day they can move into their new homes. This expectation made the design and construction team even more aware of their responsibilities. After nearly 3 months of implementation, the project was completed on December 22, 2024, ahead of the government's deadline of December 31, 2024.

Mr. Tran Trong Thong, Chairman of Bao Yen Commune and former Chairman of Bao Yen District, said that 37 households who lost their homes have been relocated to the new Nu Village and have been living stably ever since. The residents agree with the design and do not need to make any repairs; some families have added wood-burning stoves under their stilt houses for warmth during the winter. Community facilities such as schools, cultural centers, and community halls are used regularly.

The National Architecture Award Council assessed Nu Village as a typical social architecture project, solving the problem of resettlement after natural disasters in record time, preserving the Tay architectural identity under modern material conditions, and harmonizing with the landscape and community life.

(According to vnexpress.net )

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/lang-nu-cong-trinh-tai-thiet-giu-ban-sac-kien-truc-tay-a236987.html