Excerpt: Terracotta Studio, renowned artist Le Duc Ha’s workspace designed by Tropical Space, is situated near the Thu Bon River in Quang Nam Province. The studio showcases traditional crafts like terracotta, mat, and silk, influencing residents’ livelihoods and agriculture. The studio features a three-floor wood frame system, allowing visitors to observe the workshop, river banks, and garden through windows.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] A Terracotta Studio, located next to the Thu Bon River in the Dien Ban district of Quang Nam Province, has a particular architectural structure. Noted for being the working space of renowned artist Le Duc Ha, the studio is a beautiful art structure to engage in. The Thu Bon River holds a strong influence on the lives of the residents, as a majority of people are dependent on agriculture along with a variety of traditional craft villages such as terra cotta, mat, or silk.
This project is a cube-shaped building with 7 m x 7 m x 7 m of space. Surrounding the studio is a bamboo-framed platform used for drying out terra cotta products. It is further designed with two big benches for resting, relaxing, and having tea. This raised platform also serves as a fence to separate the studio from the area of the workshop.
The outermost layer of the studio is made of clay-solid brick, which reminds people of Vietnam’s traditional furnace. The studio also carries the characteristics of Champa culture, as the area was part of Tra Kieu, the Champa Kingdom capital from the 4th to the 7th centuries.
The bricks were interleaved, creating holes that help the wind ventilate and the air conditioner. This layer is not the wall preventing the outside environment from entering the studio, so the artist can feel the wind, the cool breeze from the river, and the sound of nature in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, it also creates a certain amount of privacy for the artist.
The interior of the studio is a three-floor wood frame system that creates 60-centimeter-square modules that integrate shelves for displaying artwork, a staircase leading upstairs, hallways, and seating benches. The height of the frame is 7 meters. Following the hallways, people can observe the workshop, river banks, and the whole garden through windows.
The center of the studio consists of two floors. On the ground floor, there is a turning table where the artist works. The artist and his works can interact with the sunlight from sunrise to twilight. Here, people can find the conversation of the artist and his works, as well as himself and his shadow in the silence.
At the same time, people can see and feel the time passing in terra cotta artworks through the movement of the sunlight. On the mezzanine, people can see many different spaces inside and outside the studio, as well as observe the artist working by the round void in the center. Flooding was also a consideration when designing the building. By encouraging the artist to put both finished and unfinished works on the upper shelves, they should remain safe if the river bursts its banks and flows into the building.
The design team desires the studio to be a place containing, contemplating, and spreading the emotion of the artist with both finished and unfinished artworks. The project is a destination for people who love terra cotta to share and have an experience with the clay.
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