A groundbreaking residential project in Ho Chi Minh City's historic Gia Dinh Ward is redefining urban living through innovative co-living design. The Gia Dinh House, completed in 2025 by G+architects, stands as a compelling example of how contemporary architecture can address the challenges of dense urban environments while fostering community connections. Located in a long-established residential area that once served as the center of Gia Dinh Province, the building occupies a distinctive plot with a chamfered frontage along the street axis.
The project represents a comprehensive approach to mixed-use living, incorporating diverse functions within a single structure. The building houses an independent living space for the owner's family, rental apartments for additional residents, and flexible areas that can operate as shared offices or a café. This multifunctional design exemplifies what the architects describe as a "compact co-living model," which provides comfortable living for the owners while generating income through apartment and office rentals.
The architectural design strategically addresses the site's unique challenges through several key spatial interventions. The ground and mezzanine levels feature open layouts with minimal partitions, creating a seamless transition from the adjacent alley into the house. Steel mesh gates and doors enhance transparency throughout the structure, effectively blurring the traditional boundary between the private house and the public alley. This design philosophy creates what the architects term a "void" that acts as a transitional zone between inside and outside spaces.
One of the most striking design elements is the elevator core, which the architects conceived as a sculptural element that appears to float within the central void while simultaneously serving as a crucial structural load-bearing component. The walls extending from the elevator shaft generate triangular niches throughout the building, which are ingeniously utilized for various purposes including loggias, restrooms, planted corners, and vertical voids that enhance natural light penetration.
Environmental sustainability plays a crucial role in the building's design strategy. At the rear of the house, a vertical garden facing west provides essential shading while working in combination with the internal staircase and strategically placed louvered panels above room door openings. This integrated system enables natural cross-ventilation from the back to the front of the building, reducing the need for mechanical cooling systems. The floor lobbies are thoughtfully designed as semi-public spaces that not only improve airflow and visual openness but also extend the apartments' usable space for activities such as receiving guests, reading, or other social interactions in intermediate garden spaces.
The project team, led by architects Giang Doan, Bui Hoang Lam, Tran Van Xuan, Le Phuc Khoi, and Manh Tri, collaborated with various specialists to realize this complex vision. Site supervision was handled by architect Tran Van Xuan and engineer Nguyen Quoc Khai, while the structural team included Nguyen Hoang Duong and Nguyen Quoc Khai. The construction involved multiple specialized contractors, including teams for woodwork, steel and metalwork, glass and aluminum installation, electrical and plumbing systems, ceiling work, polished concrete, and custom furniture fabrication by Gatelier.
Beyond its functional achievements, the Gia Dinh House serves as a conceptual showcase for addressing the challenges of skewed and irregular urban sites. The architects view the project as a continuation of their ongoing exploration of "living and sharing in urban houses" through the lens of contemporary co-living arrangements. The design successfully harmonizes contextual considerations, site geometry constraints, and diverse programmatic requirements to create a home that balances functionality, flexibility, and aesthetic appeal.
The building's atmosphere reflects the architects' vision of creating spaces where residents can not only live but also share experiences and forge meaningful connections with their neighbors. This approach represents a significant departure from traditional residential development patterns in Vietnamese cities, offering a model for how urban housing can evolve to meet the changing needs of contemporary city dwellers while maintaining strong community bonds.
Photographed by Quang Dam, the completed project demonstrates how thoughtful architectural intervention can transform challenging urban sites into vibrant community spaces. The Gia Dinh House stands as a testament to the potential for innovative residential design to address multiple urban challenges simultaneously, from housing density and affordability to community building and environmental sustainability, establishing a new paradigm for urban living in Ho Chi Minh City and potentially influencing similar developments throughout Southeast Asia.
