NU Architecture & Design’s L’Usine Le Loi: A Hybrid Retail-Dining Space Blending Saigon’s Past and Present

Location: 34 Lê Lợi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Area: 165 sqm
Year: 2024
Photography: Do Sy
Client: L’Usine
Primary Materials: Concrete, Steel, Local Timber, Terrazzo
Key Themes: Adaptive Reuse, Passive Cooling, Cultural Hybridity

Revitalizing a Historic Urban Fabric

NU Architecture & Design’s L’Usine Le Loi adapts a narrow, 165 sqm commercial unit into a layered, multifunctional space celebrating Ho Chi Minh City’s dynamic identity. Completed in 2024 for L’Usine’s 15th anniversary, the project merges retail, café, and cultural programming within a tropical urban context. Drawing inspiration from Saigon’s historic Trading Post, the design reinterprets colonial-era elements such as shutters and postcard frames through a contemporary lens, creating a dialogue between memory and modernity.

Design Challenges as Opportunities

The project’s constraints limited natural light, a tight footprint, and Ho Chi Minh’s humid climate were reframed as catalysts for innovation. NU Architecture prioritized:

• Passive Cooling: A recessed façade with integrated greenery reduces heat gain, while cross-ventilation minimizes reliance on mechanical systems.
• Spatial Transitions: Stainless steel “postcard” frames guide visitors from the bustling street into a slower, curated interior.
• Material Storytelling: Local ash wood, terrazzo flooring, and a green spiral staircase nod to Vietnamese traditions while ensuring durability.

A Journey Through Layers

The space unfolds as a narrative:

1. Entrance Zone: Steel frames and vegetation create a threshold, subtly referencing Indochine-era aesthetics.
2. Café-to-Retail Transition: Custom ash-wood slats reinterpret colonial shutters; vintage furniture blends with handcrafted Vietnamese products.
3. Bar Area: A monolithic ash-wood wall anchors the space, its simplified patterns echoing historic motifs.

Sustainability and Cultural Resonance

By prioritizing local materials and passive design, the project reduces its carbon footprint while fostering community connection. The hybrid program supports urban vitality, offering a model for adaptive reuse in dense cities. As Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin of NU Architecture notes, “This is a hub where global influences meet local craft a microcosm of Saigon itself.”

Location Context

Nestled between Saigon Opera House and Ben Thanh Market, L’Usine Le Loi bridges heritage and contemporary commerce a testament to place-specific design.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

NU Architecture & Design’s L’Usine Le Loi masterfully stitches Saigon’s colonial heritage into a modern retail-dining experience, leveraging passive strategies and material nostalgia to create a space that feels both timeless and urgent. While the project excels in contextual sensitivity, its reliance on subtle historical references might elude visitors unfamiliar with Vietnam’s architectural lexicon a missed opportunity for broader storytelling. That said, the seamless integration of sustainability and brand identity sets a benchmark for urban adaptive reuse, proving that constraints can fuel creativity when approached with cultural empathy.

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