DAU Retreat

On a 900 m² site in Luong Son, Hoa Binh, the building rests its back against the mountain and opens its face toward a lake, catching cool breezes year-round. It is a weekend retreat for around four households, comprising a reception and common living area, a kitchen, bedrooms, together with a pickleball court, swimming pool, sauna and an outdoor BBQ area. Rather than a single volume where people simply sit inside looking at nature through a window frame, the design scatters the programme into several small volumes, evoking a village nestled among greenery. The larger functional volume is tucked into the terrain to minimise its presence; the small accommodation blocks use a light structure, scattered through the landscape. Residents are obliged to step outside to move between them, and that very journey becomes an experience of discovery.