Not So Transparent: The Use of Glass in Contemporary Vietnamese Architecture
Thursday 15 May 2008 1.00 pm
Japanese Room 1st Floor, Architecture Building
Trinh Hong Viet
PhD Confirmation
In the past few years contemporary Vietnamese architecture has developed rapidly, with local architects and their clients now eagerly adopting 'new' Western styles of buildings, along with 'exotic' imported building materials. This research will look at one of these materials in detail: sheet glass. Most Vietnamese regard sheet glass as a building material of the new millennium, especially for large buildings, such as offices, hotels, hospitals, universities, etc. Sheet glass is a symbol of both modern technology and luxury in Vietnam. Furthermore, it has significantly changed the ways that people interact with the built environment. However, as recently as the 1980s, sheet glass was very scarce in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam and the main focus of the research. This thesis will begin by briefly looking at the period before glass was widely used in Vietnam (before the 1900s), then it will focus on the first introduction of glass in Vietnam until the present, placing most emphasis on the past two decades (since the economic renewal period in the late 1980s). Given this overall approach, it will focus on two main areas: The impact of sheet glass on everyday culture in Vietnam & the impact of sheet glass on climatic comfort in Vietnam. In the first instance this will involve: (a) conducting a visual survey of glass architecture in order to select appropriate building typologies as case studies (b) interviewing local architects who have experienced the introduction of glass first-hand from the 1950s until the present, (c) talking to local architectural historians and conservators who specialize in the use of glass, and (d) running a 'designing with glass' workshop with undergraduate architecture students at the Hanoi Architectural University. The outcomes of the thesis will hopefully make a significant contribution to understanding the discourse of Vietnamese architectural and cultural history through the use of glass in the past, present and future.
Trinh Hong Viet has a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Science from Hanoi Architectural University (HAU). Viet has taught architectural design at the HAU since 2003, lecturing on domestic architectural elements. His research interest is focused on investigating and analysing the use of modern technologies and materials, as well as their impact on contemporary Vietnamese architecture and culture.
Supervisor