FLOW

GOLDEN LANDMARK FOR VIETNAM

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The Dragon Tower in Hanoi, Vietnam, will soon be the longest building in the world. The mixed-use ensemble will house ministries and offer a variety of publicly accessible areas. In the spirit of sustainability and future viability, the design not only includes a flood control concept, but also uses renewable technologies for energy generation and an innovative mobility concept.

The new building complex, developed by Dewan Architects + Engineers in collaboration with TTA, covers a total of 700,000 m². For the concept, they drew inspiration from Fairy Mountain - one of the most important sights Vietnam's landscape has to offer. Outside, green terraces, complementary uses and plazas are oriented around a man-made reservoir - again inspired by the Sa Ra region, known in Vietnam for its historic rice terraces. The goal of the architects and engineers is to create the world's longest building as a new landmark for Vietnam with the Dragon Tower project.

Flowing space construct - ministries, common areas and educational centers.

The s-shaped ensemble with its shimmering golden facade and tower reaching towards the sky stands out in the cityscape - Dragon Tower is designed as a new landmark for Vietnam. © Dewan Architects + Engineers

In the future, the building cubature will wind its way across the site in an S-shape, ultimately culminating in a tower. Within the building complex are ministries, ministerial lobbies, meeting rooms, and a number of public spaces, including a kindergarten, library, supermarket, restaurants, and learning center. A large number of the public uses here are located on the first floor to link the interior and exterior, creating a fluid spatial construct out of the building and urban space. On the upper floors, in addition to the ministries as the main use, there are also educational centers. On the one hand, participants can learn about the country, the future and the ministries' areas of responsibility, structure and activities; on the other hand, they can learn about the building concept itself - be it information on its deconstruction, including the sustainable waste strategy, or general news about innovative, sustainable technologies in the construction and mobility sector.

Climate compatibility and mobility concept

The city of Hanoi is not only located directly on Vietnam's Red River, but is also only about 100 km from the South China Sea. And one thing is clear in times of climate change: flood protection is becoming an issue of increasing relevance. The Dragon Tower concept addresses this: The base building is designed as an artificial topography in order to be able to integrate a water reservoir, as it were, in the exterior area. This makes it possible to control flooding by deliberately flooding certain platforms during the rainy season. The water in the reservoirs is also able to provide natural ventilation in an ecological way - that is, without the use of additional energy resources - and at the same time control the outside temperature. The stepped bottom platforms, meanwhile, are double-programmed: When they are not needed to control excess rainwater, they act as an extension of the public urban space and are available for the use of various activities.

The staggered ground platforms create a publicly accessible urban space that functions, as it were, as flood protection. © Dewan Architects + Engineers

In the facade design, the design also emphasizes ecology: The shimmering golden building envelope is designed as a sunshade and, thanks to the integrated solar panels on the roof surfaces, is able to supply the building complex with self-sufficient energy. The mobility concept is also special: autonomous sustainable vehicles connect the subway with the various ministries as well as with the urban subway system - this enables employees and visitors to move around the entire site in an environmentally friendly manner. In summary, it can be said that with their overall concept for the Dragon Tower, Dewan Architects + Engineers succeed in thinking of the topics of architecture, urbanity and mobility as a unity - with a view of what a trend-setting solution approach can look like today in terms of sustainability and future viability.

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