Terra Cotta Studio

This terracotta studio stands beside a river and is the working space of the artist Le Duc Ha. The river shapes local life: most people farm, and the area is known for craft villages making terracotta, mats and silk.

The studio is a cube, 7 by 7 by 7 metres. Around it runs a bamboo platform for drying terracotta, with two large benches for resting and drinking tea, and the raised deck also separates the studio from the rest of the workshop.

The outer layer is solid clay brick, recalling a traditional kiln and the brick temples of the ancient Champa kingdom, whose capital once lay nearby. The bricks are laid with gaps so the wall breathes. It does not shut the outside out: the artist feels the wind, the cool air off the river and the sounds around him, while keeping some privacy.

Inside, a timber frame three storeys and 7 metres high is built on 60 cm modules. It holds shelves for finished and unfinished works, a stair, walkways and benches, and from the walkways windows look out over the workshop, the riverbank and the garden. At the centre of the ground floor is the turntable where the artist works, lit through a round opening above as the sun moves from dawn to dusk. From the mezzanine, visitors can watch him through that void.

Flooding was considered too. Works kept on the upper shelves stay safe if the river rises into the building. The studio is meant to hold and share the artist’s work and his feeling for the material, and to welcome anyone who loves terracotta.