Excerpt: Concrete Waves, designed by G8A Architects, is an office building with a pre-cast façade manipulating the orientation of sun shading to craft a beautiful illusion. Concrete Wave’s central garden, filled with a variety of tropical plants softens the view with a vibrant green. The light mono-chromatic skin of the building creates volumes of contrast with its own shadows, tempering the horizontal lines with an organically evolving visual scape.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Set within a tropical climate, the pre-cast façade manipulates the orientation of sun shading to craft the beautiful illusion that is Concreate Waves. Set to be completed in three phases, the project is part of a new industrial zone east of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Conceptually, the design direction continues on from the learnings of G8A’s earlier research and development centre projects exploring the “yard typology”, inspired by Vietnamese village spaces that are distributed around a central courtyard. This massing strategy enhances natural ventilation, offers clear access and circulation routes and proposes a welcoming community space for the users.
The building itself benefits from a rational floor plan and an exterior load bearing structure. This smartly maximizes the floor layout and provides flexible interior space solutions. Circulation paths exist on the margins of the floor plans and relaxation areas can be found well shaded with double height sky gardens at each level, giving breathing space for a building that is highly compact. At base level natural light and cross ventilation allow the parking area to be pleasant and accessible.
Concrete Wave’s central garden, filled with a variety of tropical plants softens the view with a vibrant green. The light mono-chromatic skin of the building creates volumes of contrast with its own shadows, tempering the horizontal lines with an organically evolving visual scape.