Kontum House – An Affordable Home Set in Vietnam’s Central Highlands

Located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, this single storey house has been designed by the architecture firm Khuôn Studio. The house was designed and built for the sister and brother-in-law of Khuôn Studio’s co-founder, Huynh Anh Tuan.

With a limited budget, focus was placed on creating an affordable home. The house features innovative use of materials throughout, including the design of a custom concrete block that helped to reduce costs. The blocks were cheap to manufacture and could be made by hand.

The owners themselves cast over 1,300 of the concrete blocks, which were then used throughout. From Huynh Anh Tuan: “The blocks were moulded and cast by the owners, and they are proud to have contributed something in the effort to build their own house.”

The project has been titled Kontum House. It’s been designed to deal with the tropical climate, which is a mix of warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. The blockwork protects the interior from too much sun exposure, while still maintaining a high degree of ventilation.

The inside has been furnished with a number of plants, with the aim of improving the internal climate and aesthetic: “From almost every interior view, natural light and green lush are to be seen. All these simple characters mingle together for a content living space of a young family.”

The front of the property contains a small garden area before leading into the home’s entryway. There’s a spot dedicated to the owners bikes, just before you enter the living room. The room is divided up into two sections, with the living room to the front, followed by the kitchen and dining area to the back.

Due to its long and narrow layout, rooms are placed in a linear fashion. The bedroom can be found beyond the kitchen through a small corridor that continues to the bathroom. In terms of size, the house is 16 feet wide by 75 feet long (5 meters wide by 23 meters).

For more small houses check out Start Home*, an affordable, contemporary home built in New Orleans. Or, for another house that makes use of local materials, see “House for Someone Like Me”, that was built in Ecuador. See all small houses.

Via Dezeen
Photos: Khuôn Studio