In Ho Chi Minh City’s Nha Be District, a radical redesign of educational architecture blends school facilities with community spaces to address the acute lack of public areas. This project reimagines the school environment by dividing the structure into upper and lower sections, separated by a shared, continuous ground level that serves both the school and the community. This ground acts as an interactive space where school activities and community gatherings coexist, shaded from the tropical sun by the overhanging structure. The lower level is dedicated to younger students and features classrooms surrounded by playful courtyards, while the upper level caters to older students with gardens that serve as serene breakout areas alongside classrooms. The design integrates skylights and indirect lighting to enhance learning environments while maintaining a connection with nature through green roofs and plant-lined facades. This project envisions schools as integral, open parts of the community, fostering learning in a shared, vibrant setting.

This project was undertaken at Yale School of Architecture with instructor Võ Trọng Nghĩa and Can Vu Bui in Spring 2024.