[Photos] Meet District 2's Floating House

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April 15, 2016

Bringing the concept of a flood-proof nhà sàn – the wooden stilt house most often seen in rural Vietnam – to Saigon's sinking terrain, local outfit Nha Dan Architects managed to create a contemporary brick-and-concrete house that combines both class and practicality.

Residing in District 2, one of the most flood-prone districts in the city, the owners of the Floating House wanted their home to be high off the ground without exceeding the legal height limit for the property, reports ArchDaily. As a result, Nha Dan’s architects put the whole house on four concrete stilts, forming a multipurpose opening beneath the house which can be utilized along with the first-floor terrace to expand the house's capacity on family occasions.

Each remaining floor is outfitted with private gardens and terraces in addition to being ventilated and naturally lit by a central circulation shaft, which connects the house's living space with its room for indoor vegetation.

The Floating House is designed not only to defy flooding but also to incorporate nature into urban surroundings.