ethereal tea house in vietnam is assembled from 2,000 wooden components

the ethereal thanh chuong green tea oasis, nestled among the sweeping tea farms of northern vietnam, is an assemblage of 2,000 slotted wooden components. the rural district is notably characterized by a lake made up of a collection of small islands cultivated for the farming of tea leaves. the project, entitled module+, was designed by nguyen khac phuoc architects (NKPA) together with dang+partners and was fabricated with great support of the local people. the structure covered just six square meters, introducing a place of retreat and gathering for farmers, and an attraction for tourists exploring the pastoral islands.

all images by trieu chien

nguyen khac phuoc architects (NKPA) and dang+partners developed an efficient system of fabrication comprising a single repeated element. module+ is comprised of 2,000 filleted cross-shaped wooden components perpendicularly slotted together and assembled without the use of adhesives or secondary fixtures. the self supporting structure was erected with the help of local people in just three days. these components were initially transported by boat and ultimately assembled without affecting or disrupting the natural surroundings.

module+ is situated along the shoreline of the glassy lake at the base of the rolling tea farms. the designers aimed to introduce a ‘stop-over’ that punctuates the landscape without intervening, and offers visitors a gentle approach to the tea hill. regarding the design philosophy that drove the project, the team comments: ‘we think the construction of today has the role of man and nature go ahead. architecture plays an important role in re-connecting two very important factors. ‘module+’ renders the correlation in today’s society by the formation of a new work.’

project info:

architecture firms: nguyen khac phuoc architects, dang+partners

lead architects: nguyen khac phuoc, dang ngoc tu

design team: dinh dung, dang ngoc quynh, dat nguyen, pham anh dung, son tran

location: thanh chuong, nghe an, vietnam

area: 6m2

completion: october 2018

photography: trieu chien