LOOKING TO THE PAST WHILE PICTURING THE FUTURE: TROPICAL SPACE

Nguyễn Hải Long and Trần Thị Ngụ Ngôn are co-principals of Tropical Space. They studied architecture at the University of Architecture Hồ Chí Minh City. Their two main design influences are sculpture and the climate; everything begins with a response to the local climate, but their projects are inspired by sculptural forms and organic shapes.

Dialogue with Architects from Southeast Asia 8 Through 12 settings, architect Park Changhyun discusses with architects of various generations from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia on the topic of residence. This series article intends to share the reflections and thoughts of these contemporary architects from Southeast Asia and share their present positions with its readers.

Park Changhyun did his M.Arch and at the Graduate School of Architecture, Kyonggi University. He is currently the principal at a round architects. He won the 32nd KIA Award for his SKMS Research Lab, the Seoul Metropolitan City Architecture Award for his Joeun Sarangchae, and the Kim Swoo Geun Preview Award for his Jeju Mujindowon. He is also the winner of the Iconic Award held at Germany in 2019 for his Jeju Seoho-dong Residence. He has taught students at Kyonggi University, Hongik University, and Korea University from 2002 to 2018, and he is currently leading a project mapping the Korean architectural landscape by interviewing about 60 architects from Korea, Japan, and Portugal.

Tropical Space, led by Nguyễn Hải Long and Trần Thị Ngụ Ngôn, continue their work from their base in Hồ Chí Minh, southern Vietnam. They were introduced in issue 625 of through a focus on their interest in the history of Vietnamese architecture and more specifically in connection with their reinterpretation of the ‘Nhà ống’ that appeared during the French colonial period. Here, we hear