On Saturday, 24 October 2015, the foundation stone laying ceremony for „German House“ took place in Ho Chi Minh City. The building will be constructed in accordance with plans by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners. The building is designed to represent the Federal Republic of Germany, and in future will accommodate the German Consulate General with the associated visa office, trade associations, cultural organizations and the local offices of German companies. The building combines economical construction, efficient services and ambitious sustainability objectives, thereby representing the high standard of German architecture in Vietnam.
(Photo: Mạnh Tùng / The Saigon Times)
The official foundation stone laying ceremony for „German House“ in Ho Chi Minh City, which was designed by gmp Architects, was attended by guests such as H.E. Vu Huy Hoang, the Vietnamese Minister for Industry and Trade and President of the Germany-Vietnam Friendship Association, the Head of the German Embassy Deputation, Hans-Jörg Brunner, as well as the investors and representatives of the architectural practice. After the Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, together with the investors, emerged successfully from the tender procedure organized by the Foreign Office, the contract for the project was placed in 2013 and building work on the underground floors started as early as the end of November 2014. Completion of the high-rise building has been scheduled for the summer of 2017.
Ho Chi Minh City is home to over 200 German companies, demonstrating the strong commercial cooperation between the two countries and hence the need for shared representation. The building with its 25 stories is intended to accommodate the German Consulate General with the associated residence, as well as the Goethe Institute amongst others. In addition, there will be offices for the German Chamber of Foreign Trade in Vietnam and for German companies and organizations, as well as a restaurant area with a generous panoramic terrace. The two top floors will be occupied by prestigious apartments.
The 3,500 m2 construction site is located along one of the most prestigious city thoroughfares between the two Le Duan and Le Van Huu traffic arteries, in the midst of the densely developed and architecturally heterogeneous District 1, which contains mainly public cultural venues, consulates and extensive open parkland. The building is 75 meters high at its elevation bordering the street, rises to 110 m at the rear of the plot, and has a gross floor area of about 39,000 m2.
The architectural concept of the design is based on the intention to express Germany’s leading role in industry and technology. Key aspects of a forward-looking architecture under the banner „Made in Germany“ are transparency, a clear structure, an economical construction method, and energy efficiency.
The glass façade represents openness to the urban surroundings. The two interlinked parts of the building are different in height and are connected by „glass joints“. An arcade at street level opens up the high-rise building to both street fronts, and connects the entrance areas with the different foyers and functional sections. In order to create an environmentally compatible high-rise building which achieves the standards of current German low-energy buildings but in the tropical climate of South Vietnam, special emphasis was placed on the environmental criteria for the building services installations. A glazed double façade specially developed for this building will be installed – a first for Vietnam. Solar screening installed in the gap between the insulation glazing and the outer glass pane reduces the tropical heat load in the interior, and thus reduces the energy consumed by the air-conditioning system.
The sustainably designed building takes into account criteria for LEED Gold certification, and will potentially be Vietnam’s first building to be certified under DGNB rules. Back in August this year the design already received two awards – the Vietnam Property Award for „best commercial development“, and an award for the „best green development“.
(Archello)
