Project: Renovation
Appointment: 2018
Completion: 2020
Client: Private owner
Area: 441m2
Address: 358 Hoang Dieu, Da Nang - Vietnam
Designed to be the perfect hideout to escape from the daily hustle, Namra Coffee is an oasis of serenity and soulful intimacy right in the heart of a busy city.
The house was once a 70s modernist architecture that had been serving as a wedding dress studio for decades. Tan Nguyen – the head architect decided to preserve the most archetypal details of the original design to breathe in a feeling of nostalgia for the epoch long passed. Much valued are the small, yet never minor, details that make this property unique: double-layered brick walls, green cement floor, and 70s style balcony. The green cement color continues to be the theme for this coffee shop. By retaining the marks of modernist architecture, D1 team wants to pay tribute to the past and connect the bygone days into the present. Still, the building’s architectural style is purely contemporary. D1 Architectural Studio deconstructed the original structure to create a green open space, which makes use of natural lighting and enables free movements across the floors.
While at first it might appear charming and even romantic, the task of incorporating historical elements into a contemporary design posed obvious design challenges.
The team relocated the staircase to the back of the building and broke down walls to open up the space and improve ventilation. D1 designed a steel-frame staircase to represent the lightness of walking free of burden. This new spatial arrangement harmonizes the two elements of spaces: Stillness and Movement.
At the ground floor, the coffee bar delivers a lively ambiance that impresses visitors at first sight. On the second floor, things slowly shifted into a much-relaxed atmosphere wherein customers leisurely savour their coffees while watching the busy bar below. People looking for serenity may come to the green garden on the third floor, where they can practice Zen in complete tranquility without worries of disturbance.
The interior décor of Namra Coffee places much emphasis on the quality of sustainability. Instead of sourcing mass-produced, commercially available items, D1 team decided to furnish the place entirely with handmade “bespoke” items crafted by local artisans, exclusively for this project.
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