In many large cities around the world, urban density has increasingly become a major challenge for urban planners and architects when designing a home that can cater towards a happy and healthy lifestyle for homeowners with limited livable space. In this article, Ryan and I (Troy) would like to introduce a housing typology among many Southeast Asian countries, particularly Vietnam, that has offered a solution to our urban dilemma, called the ‘tube house’.
As the population continues to grow exponentially and people have a tendency to condense within metropolitan areas for more job opportunities plus access to healthcare and recreation, land becomes a scarce resource that forces houses to be built next to the other without setbacks, or gaps in between. Moreover, a second major cause for this being the rate charged by the government in Vietnam for property taxes is only based on the width of the front facade. The narrower it gets, the lesser taxes the homeowner needs to pay. For these reasons, a single lot for a house would typically be ranging from 3-5 meters (10-16ft) in width and 10-20 meters (33-66ft) in length, creating an elongated volume along the lot that could be utilized as efficiently as possible.
In Vietnamese traditions, homeowners hold high respect and gratitude for the elderly and the idea of co-living among parents, grandparents, and children. Therefore, houses designed are meant to be a functional/multi-generational space that could be passed on to the next generations. A typical floor layout of a tube house would be 3 floors, with the ground floor dedicated to living and daily business operations, and upper floors dedicated to private space. Unlike most Western countries, Southeast Asian homes are thought not only as a shelter, but also as a place for local trades, such as a breakfast stand, coffee shop, or a clothing store.
To illustrate the concept of tube house better, Ryan and I have come up with an imaginary tube house that would be usually found in any part of major cities in Vietnam, called the V-House.
The idea for V-House is meant to be multigenerational, serving a family of 6 or more, including husband, wife, two children, and grandparents, while fostering well being through communal living and utilizing natural daylight. V-house overall dimensions are 4x16 meters, which can be a standard found among many typical tube houses. Constructed primarily with reinforced concrete and clay brick, V-house with balconies provided can rise more than 60 ft in height. Due to the long and narrow nature of the house, daylight strategy and designing a socially engaging and functional facade are crucial.
On ground floor, this is where all communal activities are shared among family members, with space for parking, living, kitchen, and since that as grandparents age, a bedroom and bath are also provided for convenient mobility.
As there is only one facade, windows are carefully designed to allow for sufficient daylight and ventilation throughout the house. Balconies are also crucial and provided per every story mainly for legal purposes such as egress and fire safety; however, they can also be used for exercising, hanging clothes, and gardening. Fenestration system in the facade also provides a sense of community between neighbors, as most houses like this are typically located within small alleys, where social engagement happens on a regular basis. Rooftop is also another opportunity to be utilized for family gatherings and overlooking the neighborhood as well as storage for water tanks and mechanical units.
Voids are provided at the front facade, central staircase, and back of the house to ensure each room is provided with sufficient daylight. The back of house by law is required to have a setback from neighbors’ walls, creating another opportunity for gardening and outdoor hang out space.
Parking space is usually 1-2 feet lower than the finish floor due to high precipitation and urban flooding.
Bedrooms are usually split by a central staircase in between with a hallway tuck to the side of the house.
Third level could also serve another bedroom, and a work/study space, and since a majority of Vietnamese are Buddhist, a praying room is essential for daily worship.
Tube house is not only an icon to the history of urban living in Vietnam through adapting and utilizing tight spaces to provide housing needs, but also speaks to the culture and tradition where generations of a family can live. However, as large-scale housing development expands it has pushed people to live in high rise apartments, causing gentrification and replacement of tube houses. We hope that this housing typology heritage will be recognized and preserved by future generations, as well as being reimagined and re-adapted by the next wave of local architects and designers.
We hope you enjoyed reading this!
Written by Ryan Tran and Troy Nguyen
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