a vivid brick shell envelops 'the gamelle' laboratory in vietnam

inrestudio completes ‘the gamelle’ as a small laboratory

‘The Gamelle’ by Inrestudio is a small laboratory for product inspection in a factory in central Vietnam. Located by the sea at the edge of the site, the building provides views of nature while protecting it from excessive exposure to the coastal breeze. Striking workers and visitors alike is its vivid outer brick shell, constituting a semi-porous structure to mediate between the indoors and outdoors. ‘The structure holds ambiguity: eye-catching like a solid pavilion, yet eye-penetrating to the scenery beyond with its punctuated transparency,’ writes the practice.

all images © Hiroyuki Oki

a bean-shaped, brick-clad volume responding to the seascape

More specifically, Inrestudio (see more here) enveloped ‘The Gamelle’ with a bean-shaped wall, protecting it against sea wind and sand. Its closed curve clearly defines a boundary between inside and outside, with a single concave surface facing the coast and the interior space oriented towards the open waters. Its outdoor shell is clad in locally sourced brick, creating a rich visual pattern while providing durable skin against the salty wind. ‘Its rugged texture allows a climber to scale the building,’ humorously adds Niko, founder of Inrestudio.

vivid brick stones front ‘The Gamelle’ laboratory

transparency, solidity, and linear flow

Program-wise, the architects organized the laboratory’s working spaces by breaking them down into six lines perpendicular to the coastline, forming parallel rooms extending along the sea–factory axis. The resulting layout sees an office space set up next to the entrance, followed by a group of inspection rooms and a courtyard occupying one side of each main chamber, working as a double skin that softens the interface with the outside. Arranged alternately on the sea and factory sides, these courtyards enhance cross-ventilation throughout the building.

dialoguing with the seascape ahead through solidity and transparency

Softening the solidity of the architectural volume are openings of various sizes and forms placed along the curving envelope. Depending on the exterior vista, these openings aggregate and segregate, penetrating and blocking views of the scenery on the opposite side. While the glazed openings expose the activity inside, unglazed doors reveal courtyards traversed by a row of palm trees, giving the building’s solid volume a fragmentary transparency and a sense of visual ambiguity as one moves through the different spaces.

glazed openings frame views of the coastal landscape