MIA Design Studio Design Mr. Green’s Office Bringing Nature to the High-Rise Urban Concrete Blocks

District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Project Status: Built

Year: 2021

Size: 1000 sqft – 3000 sqft

Mr.Green’s Office – The rapid development of an economy produces more high-rise concrete blocks in the urban areas, and increasingly loses the inherent green spaces. Workers spend thousands of hours in these blocks with limited emotions. To go above that barrier, we have conceived the idea of an “outdoor office” in a giant concrete building with most areas covered by tropical gardens to express the owner’s hospitality. We mainly use the cool tones of metal to create a contrast and emphasize a beautiful garden in the overall context like a mademoiselle.

Architizer chatted with Nguyen Hoang Manh, Principal Architect MIA Design Studio, to learn more about this project.

Architizer: What inspired the initial concept for your design?

Nguyen Hoang Manh: Green spaces are gradually “giving way” to skyscrapers and cold, lifeless concrete blocks in the race for economic development. People are gradually losing their ability to interact with and interact with nature. We don’t want to be confined to small, stuffy, and monotonous spaces. As a result, we want to make a difference in the design, laying the groundwork for future interactive designs with nature. The concept for “Mr. Green’s Office” evolved from there.

What do you believe is the most unique or ‘standout’ component of the project?

Because the majority of office characteristics are professional and minimalist, almost all office designs are unable to break out of the safe zone, which is usually duplicated and lacking in variety. Creating an office garden in a concrete block is a one-of-a-kind feature of our project. Instead of white walls and monotonous tables and chairs, the garden that surrounds this campus has more vibrancy and vitality. It is especially difficult to create a living environment for plants to grow naturally in a small space. These difficulties serve as a valuable one-of-a-kind highlight for Mr. Green’s Office.

What was the greatest design challenge you faced during the project, and how did you navigate it?

The most difficult aspect of this project was figuring out how to grow plants naturally in the office. That motivates us to investigate tree-growing knowledge and technology. This is also an opportunity for MIA to gain more useful knowledge and support for future project design work.

How did the context of your project — environmental, social or cultural — influence your design?

Ho Chi Minh City, where we live and work, is one of Vietnam’s major cities, with a rapid urbanization rate. Along with economic and social development, we must accept space trade-offs in our living and working environments. As a result of the influence of climate change, this leads to environmental impacts as well as existing cultures in recent years’ design. We believe that we must do something different, that we must bring works to life in order to create a new way of looking at design while still having a “breath” in order to not be constrained by the outside world.

What drove the selection of materials used in the project?

This time, our client is from the financial industry. In contrast to the aridity at work, he desires a comfortable and natural office environment in order to foster initiative and creativity at work. As a result, MIA has simplified and refined the spaces that are used and decorated. With the use of the hard floor tiled, the office becomes more unique. The rest is made easier by laying gravel and placing potted plants. The use of grinding stone flooring and sustainable steel demonstrates the importance of sustainability.

What is your favorite detail in the project and why?

The door separating the office and living room space is our favorite office detail. Each movement of the door, like using magic, transforms a private space into one with other dimensions. This has provided users with a sense of security and comfort, especially since our customer is working in the financial sector – a profession with a unique set of circumstances that is very relevant to this issue. MIA’s designs are not only unique and highly applicable, but they also truly meet the needs of each individual.

How important was sustainability as a design criteria as you worked on this project?

In fact, this building is not entirely sustainable. However, MIA still tries to convey the message of sustainability by creating space in this project.

In what ways did you collaborate with others, and how did that add value to the project?

As with any project, we start by talking to our customers and learning as much as we can about their wants, preferences, and expectations. These discussions can last for hours, but with the parties’ commitment, the ideas will have a certain effect when they are created. From there, we focus on collaborating with our team to further develop them in order to provide our customers with the best possible experience in our own space.

Were any parts of the project dramatically altered from conception to construction, and if so, why?

The reception area is what keeps MIA from being completely satisfied. This area was not completed according to the original intention of the garden with glass pots containing the branched trees because a supplier of this type is not available in Vietnam.

How have your clients responded to the finished project?

He fell in love with it the first time we presented our idea.

What key lesson did you learn in the process of conceiving the project?

As a company that was founded in 2003 and has extensive experience working on a variety of projects. MIA always considers both our strengths and weaknesses in order to avoid duplication or burnout in our work. As a result, MIA avoids getting stuck in a rut by starting with the design task and working with the client early on. Instead, MIA builds different and creative ideas through sessions or project workshops. Leaving our comfort zone is difficult but rewarding, and it serves as a constant source of motivation to fuel our creativity.

How do you believe this project represents you or your firm as a whole?

Our design philosophy is centered on green living and blurring the lines between inside and outside. One of them is Mr.Green’s Office. The definition of “Inside out – Outside in” is thoroughly applied, but the building retains its architectural expertise as well as its beauty.

How do you imagine this project influencing your work in the future?

As we mentioned, the design of an office in a building is not a new topic, but taking advantage of the surrounding context from time to time, each situation is not always easy. They are an endless source of inspiration but need to be distilled to the best. And when learning how to collect those quintessence, MIA applied and prepared them into “a sweet candy” with the creativity and things that we received from this work for further works’ office.