Students design houses on territorial islands

Houses on the Spratly islands were not designed to help residents cope with harsh natural conditions such as intense heat or storms. And the design itself has no unique features.

This urged 3 students of Hanoi Architectural University to propose a new house design for island residents, especially on the Spratly archipelago. They wish for traditional Vietnamese designs to be widely found on the country’s territorial islands.

Hoang Nu Tra My, student of Hanoi Architectural University said: “Buildings in the Spratly archipelago do not have a distinct architectural design. We want to design buildings that are both nature-friendly and convenient”.

Nguyen Hoang To Uyen, student of Hanoi Architectural University said: “Our challenge is that we don’t know much about life on the archipelago. We had to do research and take a look at the images and information provided by a journalist who just returned from the Spratly archipelago”.

After 6 months, 3 senior students completed a house design for the residents on the archipelago with a traditional roof model. The house design helps deal with shortages of water, vegetables, and power supply. Houses are also protected by 2 layers of cover in case of natural disasters.

Dr. Do Huu Phu,lecturer of Hanoi Architectural University said: “The project is new and meaningful. The students showed that they are clearly aware of Vietnam’s territorial waters and national defence”.

The architectural design became one of the best 10 projects praised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and was listed among other prominent ideas for the “Trường Sa xanh” 2016 programme.