In this densely developed mega-city finding a suitable site was far from easy. Eventually, the architects and designers discovered a place in Thu Duc City, where they built their new workspaces on a corner site opposite a small district park. The three-storey cube in exposed concrete look is hidden behind a green curtain of hanging plants. It is surrounded by a gravel-covered yard with a leafy roof of bamboos. The 3 m heigh plants pruned into individual, tall-stemmed trees stand on a strict grid of 2 × 2 metres. Almost invisible panes of clear glass 1.60 m high and anchored firmly in the ground, divide up the outdoor space to create small individual areas. A seating area, also of glass, invites the staff to work outside, under the open sky.
The ground floor has continuous floor-to-ceiling glazing. In the airy interior the reception, a meeting room and a generously sized dining area are grouped around a staircase at the centre. From everywhere staff and visitors have a view of the bamboo grove in the yard, the border between inside and outside is fluid. As you climb the open galvanised steel stairs, the dynamic communicative character changes into a static concentrated atmosphere. Here raw materials and dark colours are dominant: sanded concrete floors, grey-painted ceilings and walls. Long, linear light fittings separate the work areas visually from the circulation spaces and underline the horizontal quality of the space. A continuous projecting ribbon window with a height of 60 cm penetrates the external wall 75 cm above floor level and offers a view into the neighbouring park. The workplaces are arranged along the façade. Space for the monitors and work material is provided on the extended work surface in the 60 cm deep reveal. Outside climbing plants grow in boxes standing on the concrete canopy that cantilevers out above the ribbon window. Filtered sunlight enters between their leaves and the curtain of hanging stems and enlivens the space with a constantly changing interplay of light and shadow.
