Exhibition showcases 28 outstanding green building concepts

Outstanding green architectural designs selected from entries nationwide are on display at the Dien Hong Flower Garden in Hanoi as part of the Top 10 Awards Pavilion architecture-interior exhibition.

It's organized by the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee in coordination with Kienviet Media to introduce the public to typical housing, interior and green building designs in 2023.

The 28 works on display are excellent concepts put into practice that have just won the Top 10 Awards 2023 - an annual award sponsored by the Vietnam Association of Architects, the Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC), the Vietnam Interior Association, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICHAM).

The exhibition showcases the outstanding concepts of the Top 10 Awards 2023. Photo: Architecture Magazine

The exhibition honors authors and groups of authors whose architectural and interior designs are not only functional and aesthetic but also create humane and sustainable values of life in connection with nature.

Now in its sixth edition, the 2023 season attracted a record number of 363 submissions, demonstrating the growing appeal and increasing sense of social responsibility of Vietnamese architects and designers.

According to the organizing committee, the Top 10 Houses Awards category received 157 projects in many genres, ranging from urban housing to rural residence and mixed-use model combining housing and business.

Douglas Lee Snyder, executive director of the VGBC and chair of the Green Projects category jury, said this year's selected projects represent a diversity of types.

"We are interested in designs that use natural materials, take advantage of natural light, and have good ventilation. We also focus on designs that are in harmony with nature, which we call biophilia, bringing nature into the building so that people can see the landscape outside. These are important factors for sustainable building systems and good for people's health," he said.

A bamboo architecture covers the fountain at Dien Hong Flower Garden. Photo: Architecture Magazine

As people have become more aware of the need to live in harmony with nature, architecture has moved from "a place to live" to new concepts such as sustainability, eco-design and going green.

That's why green and sustainable architecture is becoming increasingly important in the context of a global environment facing many serious challenges, such as water and air pollution and the greenhouse effect.

Architect Le Truong, head of the jury for the Interior Design category, commented: "Interior designs are updated very quickly and are very effective. Unlike architectural works, which can have a very long cycle, interiors can change every year, which proves that the Vietnamese furniture market is developing very strongly".

Le Truong believes that this award has made a very positive contribution to people's lives and knowledge.

"As new materials and technologies have been updated for the challenge, the quality of the entries has noticeably improved with each iteration. There are a lot of opportunities to try new things," Truong said.

Last year, a giant 3D mirror house displayed at Dien Hong Flower Garden made headlines.  It's one of the entries of the Top 10 Awards 2022, which selects the 10 best housing projects and 10 best interior designs from 231 projects across the country for exhibition. These works all met the criteria of beauty and function suitable for the Vietnamese environment.

The exhibition Top 10 Awards Pavilion will run until July 8 in Hanoi.