An Interview With Third Winner Of Tiny House 2023 Architecture Competition - Duong Pham Ngoc Hoai, Uyen Nguyen Nha and Canh Nguyen Duc

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you with Duong Pham Ngoc Hoai, Uyen Nguyen Nha and Canh Nguyen Duc of Mirai House, from Vietnam- The Third Winner Of Tiny House 2023 Architecture Competition. 'MIRAI HOUSE' is a professional architectural design firm specializing in the design of houses, villas, and other architectural projects.

Come and take a look at what the Third Winner Of Tiny House 2023 - "Duong Pham Ngoc Hoai, Uyen Nguyen Nha and Canh Nguyen Duc" with their proposal "Cellule of Urban" have to say about their experience and journey throughout the competition. For the purpose of this interview they would be referred as MH to responses, however Volume Zero referred as VZ.

MH- MIRAI HOUSE is a professional architectural design company. Their main designs are houses, villas, and other architectural works. We believe that each house is designed not only as a work of art but also to bring high quality to life regardless of its scale. Therefore, a living space is designed based on functional - emotional - technical - aesthetic criteria.

The contest team represents Mirai House's design team, the design represents our common spirit about housing. Housing space always carries with it many values, both materially and spiritually. The design will aim at those two important goals to create the most creative and unique houses.

MH- We are a company providing design and construction services. Design products include houses, villas, and architectural works. In addition, we also sell model home products.

As a professional design unit, we focus on investing in research and putting a lot of effort into developing design ideas. Design products include houses, villas, other architectural works such as offices, resort items such as resorts,...

Our design team includes young, enthusiastic architects from the coastal city of Da Nang, Vietnam. The team of architects is well-trained from universities in big cities. We are confident that with our experience, experience, vision and confidence we will create a rich architectural picture that is not inferior to major markets around the world.

This award is a testament to our goal of asserting ourselves.

MH- Thinking about designing a small house must meet all the criteria set out in the competition and choosing a unique direction that solves practical problems is the direction we choose.

Not set in romantic mountainous scenes, we take the problem that is happening in Vietnam and some countries around the world, which is the problem of housing. With typical planning features, culture, and living habits, neighborhoods with alleys are formed. The unique feature of the house we designed is that it can flexibly respond to locations in those alleys.

The house meets all functions, harmonizes with the surrounding landscape and brings many living values to both the user and the surrounding context. Inside the house, even though the space is small, we still promote spiritual values such as rest, relaxation, communication and living. All are made up of basic modules, flexible in arrangement at a reasonable cost!

MH- As mentioned above, we emphasize solving the housing problem in the real context of Vietnam and developing countries. Regarding the location of the house, we intend to place it in small alleys (a characteristic of Vietnam). We collect data by: surveying the current situation, collecting planning drawings. Analyzing informal spaces, the special thing is that these spaces are diverse in size. With the analysis of the land perimeter based on the information collected, we choose a sample profile that can be commonly applied in most existing spaces.

With the criterion "More home, less house". First, we design a suitable house and help it bring more home value. The house is made up of unique Modules, not the usual square shapes. From diverse land profile data, we choose the Triangle Module to be suitable and flexible in the plan.

These Modules, in addition to ensuring housing comfort, have a variety of applied functions (such as bedrooms, working corners, kitchens, warehouses, pet houses, ...). Combining light and frequency gaps has brought the spirit of "More Home" into the house.

MH- There are two main challenging elements in our design idea: finding the land profile with a suitable location and choosing the Module form to suit the proposed concept.

With the location and land profile factors, the work of collecting and arranging the profiles takes a lot of time and effort. But with the spirit of hard work, the team found the right profile. Respecting the spirit of reality and trying to solve design problems is also what we aim for. This makes small houses meaningful and valuable.

With the Module form, we try to be creative and choose the most creative and unique Module form possible. After having the basic modules, we build the shapes to meet the harmony of the surrounding space and create great value for the living space in the house.

Difficult problems need good solutions, luckily we have a recognized solution!

MH- Choosing a practical ongoing housing problem is the common spirit that helps our design ideas go in the right direction and come up with unique solutions. 

The design team always hopes for a quality housing product regardless of the size of the house. The smaller the house, the more investment in brainpower and flexible, creative solutions is needed.

A house made up of Modules set in Vietnam, could be the starting point for the global expansion of the prefabricated housing model. The value of popularity and replication while still maintaining the "Home" spirit in the house is what makes the project successful.