NOTES
Sheltered bathing area beneath translucent cladding

Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam

Loli House

A young family lives on a 35 m² plot off Tran Cung Street in Hanoi, where tightly packed houses share a narrow alley. Completed in 2023 by t + m design office, Loli House has a frontage of just 3.6 metres. Its design draws on the way these alleys accommodate daily activities beyond the walls of individual homes.

A continuous route rises through the house, widening into timber platforms where family members can sit or play. Broad steps connect these spaces, making movement between floors part of the living area. The changes in level allow different activities to take place close together while keeping people in view of one another.

Large timber-framed windows open the interior towards the alley. Inside, skylights and slatted wooden floors admit daylight between levels and support ventilation. Solid timber surfaces provide places to occupy, while the gaps in the adjoining slats keep the tall, narrow interior visually connected.

At the upper levels, translucent polycarbonate encloses open spaces around a red steel spiral staircase. The light enclosure shelters a bathing area beside a tree and admits diffuse daylight. At ground level, the entrance is recessed behind the street edge, leaving additional room along the alley for encounters with neighbors.

Project Information

Firm
t + m design office
Area
157 m²
Completed
2023
Type
Residential
Material
Glass, Natural stone, Natural timber, Polycarbonate, Steel
Loli House rising above a narrow Hanoi alley
Credit: Hoang Le
Translucent upper facade between neighboring houses
Credit: Hoang Le
Large timber-framed windows overlooking the alley
Credit: Hoang Le
Recessed timber entrance with greenery
Credit: Hoang Le
Open timber entrance beside a stone-lined courtyard
Credit: Hoang Le
Living space beneath an open slatted timber floor
Credit: Hoang Le
Timber stairs beside a glazed door
Credit: Hoang Le
Stepped timber living space with low shelves and wide windows
Credit: Hoang Le
Timber landing beneath slatted flooring
Credit: Hoang Le
Timber-floored room with an internal window
Credit: Hoang Le
Broad timber steps beside a television and window
Credit: Hoang Le
Slatted timber flooring viewed from below
Credit: Hoang Le
Overhead view of timber steps and open slats
Credit: Hoang Le
Broad timber stairs beneath the upper floor
Credit: Hoang Le
Children playing across stepped timber platforms
Credit: Hoang Le
Children watching a projected image from timber steps
Credit: Hoang Le
Washbasin and cabinet beside the timber staircase
Credit: Hoang Le
Timber landing beside a red spiral stair
Credit: Hoang Le
Slatted timber platform beside greenery
Credit: Hoang Le
Room opening towards the red spiral stair
Credit: Hoang Le
Overhead view of the red spiral staircase
Credit: Hoang Le
Bath beside a tree within the translucent enclosure
Credit: Hoang Le
Illuminated upper facade at night
Credit: Hoang Le
Loli House seen from the alley at night
Credit: Hoang Le
Open translucent panels on the upper facade
Credit: Hoang Le
Floor plans drawing
Credit: t + m design office
Sections drawing
Credit: t + m design office
Front and side elevations drawing
Credit: t + m design office
Axonometric drawing of the stepped circulation
Credit: t + m design office
Concept drawing showing activities across the floors
Credit: t + m design office

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