This project, located in HCMC on Ngo Tat To Street, was intended for temporary use (5 years) on the same site where the Canal Street Lofts shall be located. A co-working studio was planned for this industrial site, once used by Renault Automobiles. It has been in a state of continual deterioration and retrofitting housing a variety of functions over the years ranging from parking, carwash, mechanic, warehousing, gym, coffee shop, etc.

The general design approach was to emphasize the worn industrial aesthetic capturing the state of decay and notion of the Terrain Vague (abandoned site). Tuning ones perception to the atmosphere of a site withdrawn from the typical gentrification and architectural colonization prevalent in HCMC – tapping into the vague behaviours engendered by a site that is mentally exterior in the physical interior of the city.

–

Some basic tenets of the project included; sense of liberty and freedom – released from the limits imposed by the rational city; sense of mystery & disorientation; ephemeral occupation of the site – transient and intermittent; sense of discovery – “the space of the possible” – a place of reflection & creative thought.

–

In addition to Design Direction and Briefing, designhub’s involvement included concept design for a small portion of the project which created a focal point in the overall scheme, establishing a strong visual cue upon arrival and subsequent movement through the site with the use of a sterotomic corten steel volume.

–

Secondary option explored the use of a corten steel skin. See more images.