Hasta La Ideas

World Architecture Festival 2012: Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia won two awards at the World Architecture Festival last month and in this second interview he discusses how “green buildings” that use less energy are the future of architecture in Vietnam, like his naturally ventilated Binh Duong School that won the schools category.

“We, the Vietnamese, need to think about climate change, so we should make a house, a school, a building using less energy,” says Nghia, as he explains how the rising sea levels caused by climate change are a frequent cause of flooding to the country.

The architect describes how Binh Duong School was designed without air conditioning in the classrooms. Instead, vertical louvres and perforated screens covering the facade allow air to flow freely across the external corridors and into each room. “The louvres stop the direct sunlight,” he says.

Located in the town of Di An, just north of Ho Chi Minh City, the school comprises a single five-storey building for junior and high school students. Nghia explains how he’d like to design a similar type of building for offices in the city, where ventilation is provided naturally and only computers are relient on the electricity, which he says often cuts out.

To conclude, the architect describes how he believes low-energy buildings would be welcomed by the people of Vietnam. Describing the humid climate, he claims that stepping out of the “terrible hot” into a “green building” makes people “feel good”.

Read more about Binh Duong School in our earlier story, watch our first interview with Vo Trong Nghia about his design for the Stacking Green house or see all our stories about Vo Trong Nghia.

We’ve filmed a series of interviews with award winners at the World Architecture Festival. See all the movies we’ve published so far, including our interview with architect Chris Wilkinson about the World Building of the Year.

See all our stories about WAF 2012 »

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– Vo Trong Nghia on Binh Duong School appeared first on Dezeen.