The proposed Hanoi Lotus Centre doesn't just pay homage to the national flower of Vietnam in name only; Decibel Architecture has designed the building to physically resemble a series of young lotus blossoms.
The Centre will be positioned along one of the city’s main roads and, per the City of Hanoi’s request, will sit atop a lake that will act as part of the city’s stormwater control system. The building is being designed using a pentagonal grid system. This type of system was selected as a metaphor representing the five points of an outstretched person and because ratios of five are common in nature, especially in the organization of petal structures. Five smaller lotus blossoms will surround a large, main blossom that will become the central node.
The building will house a variety of functions and spaces such as a restaurant, incubator and startup offices, 3D and 4D cinemas, multiple auditoriums, outdoor circulation, and an ice skating rink.
It isn’t just the building’s exterior that will resemble the lotus flower, as the ceiling to the main interior circulation space is inspired by the colors and patterns found on the underside of a lotus leaf. The ceiling will blend into the central auditorium volume where colored skylights and light boxes will be added. The architects say the light that comes in through these fixtures will mimic the experience of being under lotus leaves.
The exterior petals of the faux lotus leaves will act as the Hanoi Lotus Centre’s façade and will also provide shade to the restaurant and VIP areas. Each petal is created from layers of fins, glazing, shells, and support structures.
The Hanoi Lotus Centre is intended as a gateway project, providing a sense of arrival to visitors and locals driving down the main road that connects Noi Bai Airport with the greater city. The new park and cultural center is envisioned as a meeting place for the community, a multifunctional theater and performance space, and a symbol of Hanoi’s growth and prosperity.
Hanoi Lotus from Ryan on Vimeo.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture. (Click to enlarge)
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture. (Click to enlarge)
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
Resiliency | Feb 15, 2022
Design strategies for resilient buildings
LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering Kim Cowman takes a building-level look at resilient design.
Cultural Facilities | Jan 27, 2022
Growth in content providers creates new demand for soundstage facilities
Relativity Architects' Partner Tima Bell discusses how the explosion in content providers has outpaced the availability of TV and film production soundstages in North America and Europe.
Cultural Facilities | Jan 18, 2022
A building in Times Square aspires to be a marketing and arts tool
The 580-ft TSX Broadway will have several LED signs on its exterior, and host an existing 27,000-sf theater that was hoisted 30 ft above street level.
Cultural Facilities | Dec 16, 2021
Museums and other cultural spaces reconsider how to serve their communities
Efforts to raise capital for cultural buildings became necessary during the COVID-19 health crisis.
Giants 400 | Nov 19, 2021
2021 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector
Gensler, AECOM, Buro Happold, and Arup top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 19, 2021
Goettsch Partners completes Lincoln Park Zoo’s Pepper Family Wildlife Center
The project doubles the size of the previous lion habitat.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 17, 2021
Henning Larsen-designed Shaw Auditorium opens at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The project celebrated its grand opening as part of HKUST’s thirtieth anniversary celebration.
Cultural Facilities | Oct 19, 2021
Niagara Falls is getting a bigger Welcome Center
The GWWO Architects-designed building will mostly sit on the site of the center it replaces.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Oct 13, 2021
Restoration of Ramova Theater in Chicago’s Bridgeport Neighborhood begins
The building was originally built in 1929.
