G8A architecture & rollimarchini architekten add green façade to vietnam's jakob factory

G8A architecture has partnered with rollimarchini architekten for jakob factory, a structure housing the specialist steel rope producers jakob rope systems. located 50 kilometers away from vietnam’s ho chi minh city, the 30,000m2 site is placed in the center of an industrial park and proposed a unique opportunity for both practices to propose a highly innovative and highly specific manufacturing space, set to become a design reference for tropical sustainable architecture.

images by hiroyuki oki unless otherwise noted

for the design of jakob factory, G8A architects and rollimarchini architekten applied their pillar value of sustainability, both environmental and social, to all phases of the design process. the result is an environmentally friendly alternative to the typically horizontally spread manufacturing buildings. the factory offers an innovative vertical densification strategy, stacking the usable zones in superimposed slats. this robust design avoids unnecessary ground usage negating needless land development, while also offering workers agreeable outdoor spaces.

the result is a building featuring imposing façades that take on important functions like proving both shade and rain protection. taking reference from the traditional tropical architecture of the region, the design was developed with a porous façade devised as a lush-plantation skin, with the suspended structure supported by a two-layer rope network stretched from the ground to the roof. these horizontal geotextile planters not only filter rain and sun, but also contribute to lowering the atmospheric temperature through evaporation, acting as air purifiers and dust particle binders.

the intelligent distribution of work spaces combined with the plantation façade and completely modular interior walls provide a comfortable working space, a pioneering initiative as jakob factory becomes the first project in vietnam proposing completely naturally ventilated manufacturing halls.

image by severin jakob

name: jakob factory

architects: G8A architecture & urban planning and rollimarchini architekten

location: ho chi minh city, vietnam

client: jakob saigon

landscape contractor: jimmy hata
cost: 8M USD
program: office
status: completed
photos: hiroyuki oki, severin jakob
partners: rollimarchini