Wake space up!ECO- Balcony

Project idea

Balconies in Hanoi are neglected spaces as noises, dusts, air pollution, and high heat, create an unhealthy envi¬ronment for its inhabitant. ECO- Balcony aims to act as a boundary between the atmospheric condition in Hanoi and the living space in the house allowing inhabitant to regain the use of an otherwise waste space.
- Acting as filter that mitigate the issue relate with the atmosphere in the city, air filtering plants are place on the outside layer of the structure to facilitate a reduction of the pollution, dust and noises getting inside the house. Those plants also help to screen out the direct Sunlight avoiding an increase of temperature of the internal spac¬es. This allow for a bigger balcony opening reducing the needs of artificial light during the day, common problem with most Vietnamese dark houses. Water features help by heat exchange to lower the temperature of hot air and decrease the uses of air-condition.

Project description

ECO- balcony is only 5m2, definitely not a big space, but this small neglected space is present in all the houses in Hanoi, therefore it could have a big impact in the cityscape. We wish the spread of this small intervention could create a more eco friendly Hanoi city.

Technical information

Aquaponic systems do not discharge water, but instead recirculate and reuse water very effectively. The system relies on the relationship between the animals and the plants to maintain a stable aquatic environment that expe¬rience a minimum of fluctuation in ambient nutrient and oxygen levels. The system is designed with energy conservation in mind, using renewable energy (solar panel) and a reduced number of pumps by letting the water flow downwards as much as possible.
- Eco Balcony uses a language deriving from the use of its main materials: metal reinforcement rod for concrete. This material is widely available in Vietnam and uses a simple technique of welding to create the structure. This technique is accessible to all Vietnamese, and give the freedom to create a flexible and adaptable structure that can be easily implemented to all the different sites. The structure also works as a space organizer where different feature, from lighting to planted box can be easily implemented giving a wide range of customiza¬tion to suit people needs. This customization capability fit well with the cultur¬al aspect of Vietnamese people: “do it yourself” ap¬proach

Co-authors

only by FARMING ARCHITECTS