Hopper House in Quang An, Hanio by AHL architects

Vietnamese studio AHL architects have renovated a traditional narrow house with very few windows, located in the Quang An region of Hanoi. The main objective for Hopper House was to retain the culturally familiar details and materials of a traditional Northern Vietnamese construction while providing privacy within an urban area crowded with rental apartment buildings.

One of the ways AHL architects achieved this was by retaining the existing perennial trees on the site. The large garden and the decade-year old trees of the existing house were kept untouched, enabling privacy outside and inside the house.

What is unique about this build is the feeling of familiarity it evokes. This was achieved by the inclusion of thoughtful cultural details. “Patios, thresholds, inner yards, roofs, and proportions are precious ‘components’ selected from tradition to totally match with the contemporary space of the Hopper House,” said the architects.

Whilst they did not directly copy these ‘cultural components’ they were instead used as a source of inspiration – to analyse, arrange and create the design of space and function of the House.

The kitchen is found on the ground floor, followed by a double-height space on the floor above used for the living areas. The bedrooms and bathrooms complete the final two floors.

The beautiful internal light well, narrow but integral to the access of natural light, is but one of the components they have employed to keep the build contemporary. It also serves as a natural source of light for the windowless, renovated four-storey residence.

The staircase, relocated from the centre of the house to the sidewall, acts not only as a path of travel but a contemporary articulation of space. The skylight on the roof floods light from above and the removal of internal walls has created a four-storey atrium with internal balconies. The atrium wall is lined with ridged white ceramic tiles adding a texture and contemporary edge to the build.

The house whilst narrow, not to mention windowless, never feels confined or restricted. Frankly, it’s a testament to the architects’ ability to manipulate vertical space, light and materials, to resounding success.