Meet Vo Trong Nghia, the architect transforming Vietnam’s city skylines

Move over Singapore – Ho Chi Minh City could be Asia’s next garden city. That’s the vision of leading Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia whose designs feature cascading gardens, open-air corridors and lots of bamboo.

Last month, he won the prestigious 2016 Prince Claus Award, for forward-thinking architects making a positive impact on society.

And as Vietnam’s urban population grows at a rate of 3.4% per year, his mission is becoming increasingly important.

His five-residence House for Trees project, for example, is a green oasis in one of Ho Chi Minh City’s densest neighborhoods, each property resembling enormous potted plants, with greenery growing from their rooftops.

CNN caught up with the architect to discusses his plans to transform Vietnam’s cities.

What was it like growing up in Vietnam, the youngest in a family of seven children?

I grew up in Quang Binh province in the really small, super poor village of Van Xa village, in the mountains. The area was heavily bombed during World War II. We lived like farmers together with the other villagers.

Honestly, I originally wanted to be an architect to become rich! But that was a misconception. Being an architect is just really hard work. Once I started studying architecture, I fell in love with it. I might not be rich but I love it more than money.

Wolfgang Traeger

This floating wooden pavilion is the Pavillion of Reflections in Zurich. It was revealed as part of Manifesta, an annual contemporary art biennial.

Wolfgang Traeger/courtesy manifesta

The wooden structure is a collaborative project between 30 architecture students from ETH in Zurich and design firm Studio Tom Emerson.

Wolfgang Traeger/courtesy manifesta

Described as an "urban island," the floating structure is intended for leisurely use, and features an open-air cinema.

courtesy White Arkitekter

The "Sida Vid Sida" ("side by side") building is a proposed project by Swedish architects White Arkitekter.

courtesy White Arkitekter

The proposed design won an architecture competition in the city of Skelleftea. There were 55 entries from 10 countries.

courtesy White Arkitekter

The design was selected for its use of wood as a building material, as it pays tribute to Skelletea's rich local timber industry.

courtesy White Arkitekter

The building is expected to be completed in 2019.

courtesy plp architecture

Oakwood Tower is a proposed structure by PLP Architecture and Cambridge University's Department of Architecture.

courtesy plp architecture

At 80 stories high, it would be London's first wooden skyscraper, and another addition to the growing trend for structures made entirely of timber.

Lendlease

The Forte in Melbourne was completed in 2012, and is a 10-story structure built entirely of wood.

Lendlease

For two years, the 104-foot tall structure was the tallest wooden building in the world.

Snølys

That title was soon taken by the Treet in Norway.

Morten Pedersen

Treet was completed in 2014, and is 14 stories tall.

Courtesy of MGA

The Wood Innovation and Design Center (WIDC) is located in the province of British Columbia in Canada.

Courtesy of MGA

The building is a hub for wooden design education and research.

dean irvine/cnn

In Bali, the 18-home Green Village is constructed almost entirely of bamboo.

dean irvine/cnn

"This is the future. It's pure architecture ... to breathe fresh air and touch nature, that's everything," says architect Defit Wijaya.

CRG Architects

CRG Architects proposed a skyscraper made entirely of bamboo at the World Architecture Festival in 2015.

crg architects

Bamboo was recently recognized by the United Nations as a green building material that can help combat climate change.

How did that experience shape your philosophy as an architect?

My village was located the forest. I remember going to the forest and cutting down trees to sell the timber. We destroyed that forest when I was in secondary school. By the time I was about 20 years old, the entire forest in that area was destroyed by the village.

It got me thinking about how to protect timber. Other architects tend to use a lot of timber, but I try to use bamboo instead, because it’s more sustainable.

The hard wood, like that in our area, takes a long, long time to grow back. But with bamboo, it grows quickly, it is strong, and it’s attractive, too. Using bamboo relieves the pressure on the forest. We can use this in restaurants, hotels, homes – it can be used for everything.

What do you hope to accomplish with your designs?

Architecture contributes to nature and to society. We try to bring nature back into the city, protect the environment, and form a connection between humans and nature.

It’s not just about architecture as a function of beauty. The city is like an urban jungle. And we need to be more connected with the earth and the trees.

Is green architecture important in Vietnam?

As Vietnam develops faster, we are cutting down forests and destroying nature. We don’t have much greenery in our big cities, like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. They’re becoming concrete jungles.

Now we are using internet, we are living online, we are living in air-conditioned rooms. We don’t have places for walking, playing sports, or even playgrounds.

Heatherwick Studio

This tapered teaching facility comprises 12 towers, each eight-stories high, built around an expansive central atrium. The curved structure, which is covered in textured concrete panels, was designed to foster more collaborative learning.

John Gollings/ courtesy of studio505 and LT&T architects

This eye-catching, colorful extension and rebuild of an existing primary school and kindergarten in Singapore was designed around a generous internal communal space.

CPG Consultants

The incredible curved green roof of this art and design school in Singapore serves as an informal gathering space and sits atop a five-story facility that features classrooms and studios.

courtesy coop himmelb(l)au

This space-age comprehensive high school has seven unique buildings that include classrooms, a library, a cafeteria and a professional performing arts theater. The school can accommodate 1,800 students and offers courses in visual arts, performing arts, music and dance alongside the regular high school curriculum.

Alan Dunlop Architects

"Designed for students who are both blind and deaf, this is a very sensitive school project in terms of site placement, materials and form. There is a wonderful sense of scale, spatial modulation, use of natural light and tactile materials," said the American Institute of Architects' John Dale.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

This bilingual, sustainability-focused public charter school was granted an Award of Excellence in the AIA's 2016 Education Design Facility Awards.

"Within the older building, breakout nooks and cubbies are carved from the generous corridors and abandoned ventilation chases. The Pre-K annex facade is designed to be deferential to the historic school," said the AIA.

James Ewing/courtesy education facility design awards

This extraordinarily complex building features a mix of multi-use spaces that include performance venues, social spaces, teaching and learning areas and student housing. The three major staircases in the base block weave through the floors, animating each street edge as they reveal student life within.

Durbach Block Jaggers/Julia Charles

This ecologically sustainable building balances expression and rational research in its striking, sculptural design. Built to house a large science and research faculty, the building features a crime scene simulation laboratory, a 200-seat auditorium, and an outdoor laboratory that includes a tree nursery and a saltwater tank that grows algae, seagrass and salt marshes.

courtesy tezuka architects

Located just outside Tokyo, the architects of this magical school turned its roof into an endless playground and designed the building around existing trees, that now grow right through the middle of its classrooms.

David Frutos

Located on the outskirts of this small town in Murcia, Spain, this school is fully wrapped in a green carpet of artificial turf, and is built on top of a two-meter high perimeter wall to protect it from the region's heavy rains. (Photo credit: David Frutos)

Kalson Ho | Over and Over Studio

This striking redevelopment of an existing campus in high-density Hong Kong features louvered screens that improve the penetration of sunlight and ventilation, and vertical greening gardens in breakout spaces, which enlarge green areas at the school.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

The exterior finishes were inspired by the pleated skin of the local Saguaro Cactus and the layers of Arizona's iconic canyon formations. They serve as a thermal chimney and cooling feature.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

Located in Phoenix's Discovery Triangle, a redevelopment zone that connects the city's academic and research centers, this three-story building was designed to create an academic city and includes a campus mall and extensive outdoor study and faculty space.

courtesy of Adam Mørk/sxn architects

Designed for high school students aged 16 to 19, this college is connected vertically and horizontally, and has four boomerang-shaped floors that form the overall frame of the building.

courtesy tadao ando architect & associates

This 300-student art, design and architecture facility at the University of Monterrey in Mexico has 21 laboratories, three exhibition spaces, two amphitheaters and multipurpose indoor and outdoor spaces. The building received a commendation in the Higher Education and Research Award at the 2013 World Architecture Festival.

courtesy Benjamin Benschneider/NAC Architecture

This strong, holistically designed campus features elegant detailing inside and out, and sustainable features that preserve and enhance the school's park-like feel. The building received an Award of Merit in the 2015 AIA Education Design Facility Awards.

Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop

This nursery school was designed to accommodate 60 students in a large house environment, and is similar in style to many of the houses in the surrounding farming communities. The school includes features that embrace its natural setting, like a rainwater pond for the students to play in.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

This building serves as an educational facility for students learning about energy-efficient building systems, and was recognized with an Award of Excellence in the AIA's 2016 Education Design Facility Awards.

"The building creates a gateway to the campus and symbolizes the merging of technology, education and sustainability," the AIA said.

Eva Schwarz © Wuestenrot Stiftung

"The school has a main classroom and adjacent 'wet' area or project space embracing an outdoor garden but the forms area is more organic and daylight is brought in through clear stories and raised roofs," said AIA's John Dale.

©MYAA

Featuring two minarets that stretch 90 meters into the sky, this magnificent building is dedicated to the study and research of Islam. It won the Religion category at the World Architecture Festival's 2015 awards.

KUNLÉ ADEYEMI/NLÉ

This prototype was constructed to provide teaching facilities for the slum district of Makoko, a former fishing village on Lagos Lagoon where over 100,000 people live in houses on stilts. Shortlisted for a Designs of the Year Award in 2014, the school was built by a team of local residents, but was decommissioned in March 2016 and eventually collapsed following heavy rains.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

Part of the largest community college in Mississippi, this energy-efficient building was designed to accommodate day and evening classes for its student community. Incorporating laboratories, classrooms, offices and study areas into a construction made from durable materials, the building received the AIA Mississippi Honor Award in 2012.

Paul Warchol Photography

Part of the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Clough Commons features a three-dimensional grid that frames large zones of flexible common spaces that support undergraduate student study and experiential learning. The building won a 2012 Design Award from the Society of American Registered Architects.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

Granted an Award of Merit in the AIA's 2016 awards, this preschool provides free special education services to underprivileged families in New York. Set in a renovated 1930s warehouse building, "the design team's adaptive reuse of the 25,000-square-foot space presented a number of difficult challenges," according to the AIA.

Paul Rivera/courtesy aia education facility design awards

"This new building at Dwight-Englewood embodies the school's STEM mission, while still blending into the existing campus," said the AIA, who granted it an Award of Merit in its 2016 Educational Facility Design Awards. Inside, seven flexible classrooms and eight science labs center around a double height community area that serves as the Innovation Hub where students are free to explore.

courtesy aia education facility design awards

This restructured public high school adopted a small learning community (SLC) model and was granted an Award of Merit in the AIA's 2016 Educational Facility Design Awards.

"SLCs are designed with core learning studios that feature discovery, project-based learning, digital and applied learning labs to foster collaboration," said the AIA.

Bruce T. Martin/Bruce T. Martin Photography

A multi-use residence hall for the Berklee College of Music, this spectacular building includes student housing; a 400-seat, two-story dining hall that serves as a student performance venue; music technology studios; student gathering spaces and ground-floor retail space.

Kyle Jeffers/Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

This private school was designed to provide decentralized, innovative education environments to foster a strong academic community. The school makes use of existing public resources in the surrounding community -- like playing fields and libraries -- and makes their own spaces available for public use in return.

Lara Swimmer/ aia education facility design awards

Located on a small island in Puget Sound, this beautiful campus was inspired by the idea of the little red schoolhouse. The design was completed following community consultation, and fosters a close connection to the landscape that students and staff both expressed.

© RMA Photography Inc.

Teaching students from preschool through to grade 6, this school is designed to be grid neutral and currently offsets all of its energy needs with integrated solar cells, according to one of the lead architects, John Dale. The classrooms are clustered into three small learning communities around shared resource areas, with the ground floor spaces providing indoor and outdoor learning opportunities.

COSTEA PHOTOGRAPHY/LPA Inc

Located inside the San Diego Central Library, this charter high school offers project-based learning within flexible areas that can be converted to accommodate different spaces using glass partitions and adaptable furnishings.

Chia Chiung Chong

The Savannah College of Art and Design has set up base for its Hong Kong campus in a UNESCO award-winning historical site: the North Kowloon Magistracy building. While the building maintains its original structure on the outside, the interiors were repurposed by LCK Architects. The space makes use of the building's original floor plan and frameworks, converting former prison cells into classrooms.

courtesy MAAD architects

This kindergarten, located in the small town of Okazaki, is MAD Architects' first project in Japan. The beautiful school was designed to let children feel as comfortable as they do in their own homes.

People end up going to bars to drink beer and release stress, and that leads to more and more stress and societal issues. We want to encourage people to get outside, relax and enjoy nature.

This city lifestyle is causing a disconnection with human beings and nature. People are more stressed out and it’s a big challenge for all cities – not just in Vietnam, but in Jakarta, Bangkok, Hong Kong. This is a huge problem in the world because it’s easier to get angry, to feel stressed, to misunderstand each other.

That’s why we try to reconnect people with nature. It’s one way to keep our minds more peaceful.

What has been most challenging so far?

The first five or six years it was really hard to build, because we had to convince people and the government about our ideas.

We started with small houses … that led to bigger community projects, like university campuses, museums and playgrounds.

Kleindienst/Floating Seahorse

The Floating Seahorse villas take the houseboat concept to the next level. For starters, each three-story retreat features an entire floor submerged beneath the sea. Brought to life by Kleindienst real estate and property developers, the villas are part of the Heart of Europe resort opening off the coast of Dubai.

Kleindienst

On the outside hull, the architects used three main components: Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP), steel, and acrylic. Connecting the acrylic to the hull was another challenge, as it required a highly flexible, long-lasting sealant that only about three companies in the world make -- of those, only one supplier was able to match the project's technical requirements. 

Kleindienst/Sharbeen Sarash

Stretching across three levels, Floating Seahorse villas include two underwater bedrooms, an outdoor sun deck, and a rooftop with a glass-bottom Jacuzzi. Around 50 floating abodes will be ready to welcome guests at the end of this year, with a total of 131 villas expected by the end of 2017. 

Sharbeen Sarash

At just 9.5 centimeters thick, the floor-to-ceiling underwater windows make it seems like there's nothing between you and the fish. However they're not made of glass, as that would cause distortion and could not withstand the water pressure. Instead, the team looked to aquariums and submarines and used acrylic for its durability and crystal-clear views. 

Kleindienst

Inspired by the mysteries of the deep, Kleindienst studied underwater projects for decades until he finally had the chance to bring his vision to life in 2008, as part of the "The World" project off the coast of Dubai.

Dymitr Malcew

Designed by Singapore-based architect Dymitr Malcew, The Floating House aims to make the nomad life as leisurely and luxurious as possible. Each home is fully sustainable, built with its own water purification system and solar panels for electricity.

Dymitr Malcew

When building The Floating House, one of architect Dymitr Malcew's main goals was to complement the surroundings. Taking inspiration from nature, the design accentuates the landscape, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls and an abundance of wood. Each room has easy-access to a wrap-around terrace, and enormous windows let in lots of natural light.

Dymitr Malcew

To enable The Floating House to rise and fall with the tides, architect Dymitr Malcew constructed the home on floating steel pontoons. An engine can be installed upon request, enabling owners to travel the world from the comfort of their own home.

Architect Koen Olthuis - Waterstudio.NL/developer: ONW/BNG GO

An ambitious project from Dutch developers ONW/BNG GO, the Citadel is Europe's first floating apartment building. It's part of the New Water development project, which will comprise six floating apartment buildings -- all designed to adapt to flooding and rising water levels.

Architect Koen Olthuis - Waterstudio.NL/developer: ONW/BNG GO

The Citadel floating apartment building is home to 180 modules, which rest on top of a floating concrete foundation. A floating road connects the complex to the shore, so residents can park their cars on site. Dutch developers ONW/BNG GO designed the complex to be highly efficient, consuming 25 percent less energy than a conventional building of the same size.

Robert Harvey Oshatz, architect / Cameron Neilson, photographer

Made with a mix of western red cedar, Douglas Fir and copper, the Randall T. Fennell Residence sits gracefully on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Curving rooftops mimic the ripples in the water below and create an eye-catching silhouette.

Cameron R Neilson

The residence's exposed beams add an industrial feel, while curved ceilings and rich wood warm up the vibe. A deck wraps around the home, leading visitors to the open-air patio in the front of the home where they can take in dramatic sunset views.

Robert Harvey Oshatz, architect / Cameron Neilson, photographer

Surprisingly spacious inside, the 2,153-square-foot (200sqm) houseboat includes a loft-style master bedroom and an open living space. Drawn up like a sail, a clean white wall draws focus to the piece de resistance: a floor-to-ceiling glass window that looks onto the river.

Jose Campos Photography

This floating abode is all about sustainable, mobile living -- anywhere in the world. From the designers of Friday SA, a Portuguese design and engineering firm, Floatwing was built to travel and its modular design can be broken down and transported in two or three shipping containers. You can anchor where you wish, or motor around at a speed of up to 3 knots.

Jose Campos Photography

As stylish as it is sustainable, Floatwing homes come with a wine cellar, barbecue area and a rooftop terrace. As for sustainability, the designers chose eco-friendly materials such as cork and wood. It's energy efficient too, thanks to double-glazed panels for insulations and solar panels that cover up to 80 percent of energy consumption throughout the year.

MOS Architects / photographer Florian Holzherr

Tucked away in the Great Lakes, MOS Architects' one-bedroom Floating House rests atop steel pontoons, allowing it to rise and fall with water levels. Built off site, the house traveled about 50 miles before reaching its home on the remote island in Lake Huron.

MOS Architects / photographer Florian Holzherr

Inspired by the surroundings, MOS Architects designed Floating House Lake Huron with clean lines and a natural palette. Inside, bright white walls and enormous windows open up the ground floor's 1,000-square-foot space (92 square meters), while cedar rain screens on the facade offer both form and function.

Designs Northwest Architects / photographer Ben Benschneider

A project by Designs Northwest Architects, Lake Union Float Home is part of Seattle's unique houseboat community. Inspired by the century-old marina warehouses on the docks, the architects created a modern home with historical touches, evident in the industrial form, steel beams, polished concrete and caged spiral staircase.

Jet Capsule

Don't worry: these are not a figment of your imagination. Made of two fiberglass shells, the UFO (which in this case, stands for unidentified floating object) is essentially what it looks like -- a spherical boat, able to reach a top speed of 3-5 knots.

Jet Capsule

The shells are made of fiberglass and secured with a hermetic seal, which keep it afloat and stable. The Italian company behind the concept, Jet Capsule, says the sphere is unsinkable, utilizing a special elastic anchor system to maintain stability in rough seas.

Jet Capsule

The UFO is completely self-sustaining, incorporating innovative features like a water generator that turns salt water and rain into potable water. The mobile home also has solar panels and optional water turbines to power the battery. 

ewout huibers

Stretching across 2,152 square feet, Watervilla Weesperzijde sits on Amsterdam's Amstel River. Designed by +31ARCHITECTS, it's all about the river views: luxurious floating abode boasts a glass façade and a terrace that runs the entire length of the villa. Tech-savvy touches, such as automatic sun shades and strategically placed LED lights add a modern touch.

+31ARCHITECTS

House boats are nothing new in the Netherlands, where much of the land lies beneath sea level and is susceptible to flooding. Designed and constructed by +31ARCHITECTS, the 2,120-square-foot Watervilla de Omval floats on the Amstel River. It's a contemporary take on the traditional houseboat, featuring a curvaceous exterior, glass-front façade and a rooftop terrace to make the most of the surrounds.

BYTR/Stijnstijl photographer

You won't find any portholes aboard The ParkArk Oog-in-Al, but the contemporary houseboat still floods with natural light from enormous windows and skylights. Another custom project from BYTR architects, the copper-clad boat is moored on a leafy green canal in Utrecht right next to a footbridge. Due to its public location, the designers strategically planned the home's doors and windows to enable park and river views while maintaining a sense of privacy.

BYTR/Liesbeth Sluiter photographer

Designed and built by BYTR architects, Muntboot sits on a quiet canal in Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands that's known for its medieval waterways. The split-level houseboat could easily double as a piece of artwork, thanks to wooden slants of various widths that give the façade texture and depth.

We work with the government, always asking them to loosen the regulations so we can more easily make green roofs and have more flexibility in the designs.

The system is evolving. Now we can build every day, every month. But every time we build something new, we destroy nature So that’s a big challenge – how to balance development with conserving and protecting nature.

Tell us about one of your most distinctive works …

The House for Trees, the Farming Kindergarten or the FPT University Ho Chi Minh City One are the best examples of how we try to bring green space and social space to the city.

For example, take the Farming Kindergarten – we have almost no playgrounds for kids in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, so the kids don’t have anywhere to play.

There is also a huge amount of cars and motorbikes on the roads, so they can’t go out and play. It is very risky.

So the concept was to provide a playground for them and to make a rooftop farm so they can reconnect with nature, enjoy architecture and learn how to farm.

How do you approach each project?

We try to reduce the emissions and the reliance on nature by planting trees. If it’s a hotel, then we try to work with the company to set up systems to reduce waste, recycle water, and reduce air conditioning.

When you go into one of our hotels, it looks like you’re entering a forest.

A green facade can save a lot of electricity. It’s really hot in Vietnam, but if we cover a building in greenery, then it keeps its cool inside and you don’t need as much air conditioning.

You founded your company, Vo Trong Nghia Architects, in 2006. How does it operate differently to other firms?

Stefano Boeri Architetti

Milan's "Vertical Forest" is an award-winning skyscraper which houses numerous trees and shrubs.

Paolo Rosselli/Stefano Boeri Architetti

Designed by Stefano Boeri architects, the 116-meter and 76-meter towers were completed in 2014.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

More than 800 trees have been planted on steel-reinforced balconies with the aim of combating urban pollution as well as containing urban sprawl.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

A similar-looking highrise -- as seen in this artist's impression -- will start construction in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2017.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

The Tower of Cedars will be around 120 meters in height and incorporate more than 100 cedar trees.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

The building was also conceived by Stefano Boeri architects.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

London's Kensington Roof Gardens opened in the 1930s and covers 1.5 acres. In recent years, London has become a leader in planting green roofs with an estimated 1.3 million square feet covered across the UK capital.

Mary Turner/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

A more modern take on green roofs can be found atop the Numura building in the City of London. The Japanese investment bank's private rooftop gardens include a terrace with panoramic views across the River Thames.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

In Guizhou, China, Stefano Boeri architects have started drawing up plans to create a 250-room Mountain Forest hotel.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

The design is inspired by the natural scenery of the Wanfenglin (Forest of Ten Thousand Peaks) valley, according to Milan-based architects.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

Boeri is also plotting a new sustainable city in Shijiazhuang, China.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

The "Forest City" is an idea to create a sustainable city of 100,000 inhabitants which would build on the success of Boeri's "Vertical Forest."

I think we are different because we do company-wide meditation every day.

We started meditating four years ago, after I joined a 10-day course that was 12 hours a day – no email no phone, no nothing.

It’s hard to imagine in this day and age. We do two hours every day, the first session is between 7:30am and 8:30am and the second is from 5pm to 6pm.

This keeps our minds really calm and focused, and we feel the tranquility of nature.

Why is meditation important to your work?

It’s really simple. Normally, people can focus like three to five seconds and then something will interrupt the mind.

But if you do meditation, you can focus longer, and it makes your mind and work more efficient and clear.

We focus on cleaning up our minds and our hearts, and then we contribute to the problem we are trying to solve: how to connect humans with nature.