Viettel Group Headquarters in Da Nang, Vietnam
gmp wins competition for two high-rise blocks
In the architectural competition for the new headquarters of the Viettel Group in Da Nang, the jury was impressed by the design by gmp von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects, who were commissioned to carry out the project. For the Viettel Group, the leading mobile telephone provider in Vietnam, gmp designed an office complex consisting of two high-rise blocks.
Da Nang, the coastal city in Vietnam’s central region, is an important commercial, political, and administrative center. The site for the project in the Hai Chau district lies between the airport and the historic city center at the intersection of two main transport arteries. The design by gmp provides V-shaped floor plans with central circulation cores for the two high-rise towers. The high-rises are placed offset from each other on the site, thus allowing an unobstructed view from all stories in all directions across the city landscape and the Hàn River. The multistory “sky windows” in the facade are the prominent features of the high-rises’ succinct elevations: the windows extend over several stories and are recessed inwards with large reveals angled at 60 degrees. The openings in the V-shapes create large, loggia-like recesses in the facades that can be seen from afar; they provide space for planting and are used as communication zones. The plans provide for a highly insulated facade with natural ventilation for a good room climate. The western elevations of the buildings are to have double-skin facades with integrated solar screening that would help prevent overheating of the interior when the sun is low. Furthermore, the ground piles are activated in order to use ground heat as a source of renewable energy.
The gmp practice has been active in Vietnam since 1995. Since then, a number of prestigious public buildings have been created – the National Congress Center, the Hanoi Museum, and the parliament building of the Vietnamese National Assembly. The German House in Ho Chi Minh City, which was opened in 2018, was also designed by gmp.
