Next Generation

What role does the office tower play in today's landscape? Once emblematic of singular expression and purpose, hybrid working styles and new technology have challenged the meaning of these totemic structures within our cities. Confronting the aftermath of pandemic-induced abandonment, LAVA probes the potential for reimagining these dated forms, proposing their adaptation into multifaceted civic typologies that enrich the urban experience, redefining the relationship between city and citizen.

For Detech, a Hanoi-based German-Vietnamese family business specializing in technology and manufacturing, their 1980s office tower located in the rapidly developing My Dinh district represented the genesis of its enterprise. Yet, since it was built, the company has evolved into new sectors and directions, from electric bikes to sustainable coffee farming, education, and biotech. It required a new headquarters to continue its legacy as a multi-generational family company, embody its growing structure, and rise to the role of a future workplace.

For the competition-winning design, LAVA interpreted its diverse business branches as a group of five connected buildings, each different in appearance, shape, and size ranging between 20 to 45 storeys with flowing façades incorporating shading and energy-efficient construction to a new precedent in Vietnam. The new buildings sprout around the original 40-year-old tower, considered the ‘oldest family member,’ currently undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment encompassing the remediation of toxic materials, façade replacement, and technological enhancements. “Rather than overpowering the past, we materialized a complementary relationship between existing and new, inspired by the metaphor of a family tree,” explains LAVA Partner Chris Bosse.

Unlike the vertiginous forebearer, each new volume has organic circulation routes, including spiral staircases and inviting shared spaces that connect formerly separate silos: “These types of zones are vital to today’s office, a hub for interaction where the purpose is to exchange information and foster social connections,” notes Bosse. “Office buildings risk becoming obsolete in 20 to 40 years without these zones, which will allow them to better adapt to advanced technology and future change, and therefore last longer.”

Evoking the curves of the Vietnamese landscape, three types of social ‘maneuvers’ are informed by research into biophilic design principles. The ‘Valley’ forms where two towers meet, a fresh, daylight-filled terraced atrium layered with greenery, cafes, and benches, conditioned to emulate an outdoor climate. Sharp architectural corners are carved into soft edges, roof terraces, and voids known as ‘Peaks.’ The third maneuver is the ‘Cave,’ an entrance that draws pedestrians into a sheltered thoroughfare beneath a multi-level archway—a public zone flanked by cafés, restaurants, and stores. Together, these zones offer spatially diverse breakout areas as a counterpoint to the offices, enhancing communications and improving well-being thanks to their nature-inspired escapist quality—as seen in the design for the KACST Innovation Tower.

Importantly, each maneuver engages directly with the city beyond, connecting either physically or visually: “We are interested in the special moments of interaction with the public, the sense of arrival, its form on the horizon, and correspondingly, we have carved out new opportunities from the building volume following the rationale of an ‘Open Building’ approach,” says Bosse. Recognizing the dynamic nature of urban development, this approach incorporates elements for both stability and adaptability into architectural design.

Through its open-ended features, flexible spaces, and multifaceted areas and functions, this building facilitates inclusive and democratic usage, welcoming both Detech’s employees and the public. It nurtures a regenerative urban environment by embracing social and technological progress and exemplifies how an office building can harmoniously blend into an ever-evolving three-dimensional urban fabric. It acknowledges the potential necessity for change or adaptation throughout its lifetime, blurring the boundaries between public and private realms, indoor and outdoor spaces, and seamlessly integrating with the surrounding landscape.