Highlighting Function over Aesthetic: The Raincoat House

In Vietnam’s urban zone, so many homes have been squeezed into the narrow alleyways their biggest cities have been known for. These narrow spaces don’t stop designers from crafting resourceful and creative homes that fit the city’s current status where rapid urbanization and population growth are rising though. Nestled in one of Hanoi’s deep alleys is an 80-square-meter home called The Raincoat House. Originally an abandoned structure, local Vietnamese firm S.LA Architects converted it into a home with two sections–one part being the living area and the other being a small greenhouse-like space where natural light bathes the interiors. The Raincoat House was originally supposed to be demolished but combining the narrow location’s limitations, potential costs from demolition waste transportation, and the impact on the previously renovated section, the owners and designers thought that renovation would’ve been the better option. 

The home has two floors–the ground floor where the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and entry corridor that serves as the buffer space between the other houses are situated, and the second floor where the workspace, laundry area, and rooftop are found. These two levels are connected by perforated metal stairs that allow light to flood into the kitchen during the day.

Half of its diagonal roof meanwhile makes use of clear corrugated polycarbonate and is reminiscent of the raincoat that shields the house from weather-induced deterioration. As the existing structure is aged and has clear signs of degradation, the raincoat roof was designed to be as lightweight as possible and makes use of steel tubes, roofing panels, and locally sourced wood, specifically chinaberry wood sourced from the owners’ grandparents’ garden and repurposing grees that have been growing for many years. 

As a house set in such a tight location, the Raincoat House mostly focuses on distributing as much light and space through the house as possible and highlights function over aesthetics. Despite this, the home still has a modern edge to it, showcasing it as one of Hanoi’s more modern takes on houses. 

Photos by Triệu Chiến