Aunt Four’s House by AHA Architects – A Modern Interpretation of Southern Vietnamese Tradition

Aunt Four’s House, designed by AHA Architects, is a three-generation family residence nestled in the rural landscapes of Long An, Vietnam. Located along a busy national highway, the project confronted two major challenges: traffic noise and dust pollution. The architects’ response was both practical and poetic, introducing layered green buffers that shield the home while evoking the traditional Southern Vietnamese garden house aesthetic.

A Home Rooted in Memory and Family Heritage

More than just a dwelling, Aunt Four’s House serves as a vessel of family memories. It reflects the spirit of the previous family home where parents spent their lives and where festive gatherings once thrived. The new design ensures that holidays and celebrations remain intimate and full of joy, connecting generations through familiar rituals, laughter, and the aromas of home-cooked meals.

Design Strategy: Open, Buffer, Enclosed, Open

The house is strategically set back from the street, creating a generous forecourt that functions as a transitional green buffer. This open garden filters dust, reduces noise, and creates a serene threshold before entering the main house. Drawing inspiration from local architecture, the home features sloped red-tile roofs and wide front and rear verandas, enhancing both its visual identity and microclimatic comfort.

Spatial organization follows a deliberate principle: “open – buffer – enclosed – open.” Courtyards, verandas, atriums, and skylights are seamlessly interwoven to maximize cross-ventilation and daylight penetration, maintaining a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Flexible Spaces for Multigenerational Living

Rather than rigid layouts, the home is designed as a flexible system of spaces promoting interaction and exploration across multiple levels. For the youngest generation, bedrooms include mezzanines and spiral stairs leading to rooftop living areas. Large arched openings guide daylight into the hallways below, enriching the visual experience and fostering emotional connections between different areas of the house.

The Heart of the Home: Atrium Garden

At the center of the residence lies a large atrium with a vertical garden, acting as the home’s green heart. Morning light filters through tree canopies, creating dynamic shadows, while breezes carry the scent of foliage into every room. This vertical core enhances natural ventilation, acoustic comfort, and encourages casual family interactions across levels.

Materiality: Tradition Meets Modern Comfort

Material selection emphasizes warmth, durability, and tactility. Terracotta bricks, timber, and clay tiles create a sensory richness and provide thermal performance, while surrounding greenery softens the building’s presence. By combining vernacular forms with passive design strategies, Aunt Four’s House balances traditional cultural memory with modern living needs, demonstrating how architecture can honor the past while accommodating contemporary lifestyles.

All photographs are works of Quang Dam