This international competition entry proposes a new theatre complex on the Saigon River opposite the city centre. The site is adjacent a bridge newly constructed to connect the new precinct with the city centre.
The brief required a multi-performance 1,200 seat theatre and a 500 seat theatre set in landscaped gardens. Our concept reflects the story of Au Co and Lac Long Quan relating to the meeting of the mountains with the coastal plains and sea.
The plan positions the two theatres as ‘mountains’ to the rear of the site. The larger theatre is ribboned by mixed mode verandah foyers overlooking the river, while the smaller theatre terraces in gardens down to river plain. A wedge of lagoons penetrates between the two theatres to form settings for water-based performances and puppet shows. The terraces illuminate in an outdoor covered theatre in one corner.
The scheme references modernist civic architecture across the river but also seeks to shift emphasis to an architecture more conducive to the tropical climate in terms of a landscape approach, thermal massing and ‘breathable façade systems.
Unfortunately the competition was abandoned with a change of government with no outcome.
Transform Architecture
Ho Chi Minh City City Council