Urban Sparkle: An Architectural Exploration of Light, Geometry, and Spatial Flow
Urban Sparkle: An Architectural Design Integrating Light and Geometry
According to the architects’ description, the Urban Sparkle project transforms a restaurant site in Ho Chi Minh City into a glowing urban beacon. The project is highlighted by a steel roof inspired by origami art, which captures and refracts light throughout the day, creating a dynamic visual experience for both visitors and passersby.
Location and Significance
The project is situated on a 30-meter-long street in the Thao Dien area, directly in front of the city’s first metro line, and surrounded by towering residential buildings. This strategic location gives the building a unique visibility, allowing it to be seen from three different levels:
- Street level, where direct visitors encounter the building.
- From passing trains, offering a visual experience for commuters.
- From high-rise windows, giving it a striking presence on the city skyline.
Integration of Form and Function
The origami-inspired steel roof serves both a functional and aesthetic purpose. Thanks to its geometric design, it does more than define the building’s form, it also helps control natural light and its reflections, enhancing the visitor experience and adding an architectural dimension to the public space.
Urban Sparkle: A First Experience and a Clear Architectural Goal
For the client, this project represents their first experience in constructing a building from scratch and serves as an opportunity to establish their flagship Japanese restaurant as a prominent regional landmark. Within the Vietnamese cultural context, restaurants hold special significance, being considered spaces for celebration, whether for birthdays, anniversaries, or precious family and community moments.
Design Challenges
One of the main challenges was designing an architecture that draws attention from multiple angles while conveying a Japanese identity in a subtle and balanced manner. The project also required accommodating diverse programs within the building, taking into account Vietnam’s hot and humid tropical climate, along with the constraints of the available budget.
Landscape Coordination and Outdoor Space Usage
The approach to landscaping was designed to create a flexible area for weekend shows and activities. This allows the restaurant to offer an enjoyable experience for visitors while enhancing the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces in harmony with the restaurant’s Japanese identity.
The Concept of “Sparkle” in Design
The architects developed the design around the concept of “sparkle,” a dynamic quality of light that dances across surfaces and changes the perception of space depending on the viewing angle and time of day. This concept reflects a focus on the visitor’s sensory experience, transforming light into an active architectural element rather than mere traditional illumination.
The Steel Roof: A Sculptural Symbol and Cultural Identity
The origami-inspired steel roof functions as a sculptural element that shapes both the building’s interior and exterior spaces. Through its curves and folds, the roof subtly conveys the restaurant’s cultural identity without relying on a literal representation of Japanese culture.
Connecting Japanese Cuisine with Nature
The choice of origami in the design resonates with the harmony of Japanese cuisine, adding an artistic dimension that complements the dining experience. Additionally, the geometric pattern of the roof subtly evokes snow crystals, linking the culinary experience to northern landscapes and the ingredients that define the restaurant’s gastronomic identity, while enhancing the visitors’ visual and artistic impression.
Folded Geometry and Its Visual Impact
The folded geometry of the roof creates a strong visual presence, noticeable from all three viewing levels: street level, passing trains, and high-rise windows. These folds also help define the intermediate spaces designated for gatherings and events, enhancing the functional organization of the area and creating distinct zones for social interaction.
Guiding Movement and Visitor Experience
The roof’s curves naturally guide the movement of visitors throughout the restaurant, making circulation part of the dining experience itself. Variations in ceiling heights and changes in spatial volumes encourage visitors to explore while moving through the space, adding a dynamic dimension and making each visit a unique experience that integrates light, geometry, and cuisine.
Light Coordination Through the Roof
The roof plays a crucial role in directing light both inside and outside the building, operating in two different directions to create a fully immersive sensory experience.
Natural Light During the Day
During the day, the folded geometry channels natural light inward through strategically placed roof openings. This distribution allows the interior to be bathed in balanced natural light, enhancing a sense of openness and comfort for visitors while highlighting architectural details with precision.
Artificial Light at Night
At night, the same roof openings cast artificial light outward, transforming the building into a glowing presence that draws attention within the urban environment. This effect creates a celebratory atmosphere, making the building a visible and distinctive landmark in the city, reflecting the dynamic nature of its architectural design and engineering.
Roof Materials and Structural Engineering
The roof structure uses 4 mm thick steel sheets with a maximum span of 6 meters, highlighting the ability of origami-inspired engineering to transform thin material into an effective structural system through folding. This is likely the first attempt to apply a thin steel sheet structure inspired by origami in Vietnam, making the project an important case study in contemporary architecture in the region.
Combining Lightness and Strength
The limited thickness of the sheets maintains the structure’s lightness, while the folded pattern provides the necessary rigidity to support various spaces. The roof openings allow natural light to enter, while the steel surface subtly reflects it, enhancing the sparkle effect during the day and emitting a warm glow at night.
Local Capabilities and Budget
Local metalworking capabilities made this complex engineering feasible within the allocated budget, reflecting the project’s ability to combine artistic innovation with economic efficiency. This practical approach highlights the importance of building materials in modern construction.
Origami-Inspired Geometric Pattern
The geometric pattern of the roof is derived from the systematic folding principles inspired by origami art. Each fold provides structural rigidity and unique angles for light reflection, while also allowing for the placement of roof openings. The design relies on symmetry, creating a dynamic visual experience that reveals different aspects depending on the viewer’s position and the time of day.
Interior Lighting Experience
Inside, the folded roof creates an immersive environment where visitors interact with both natural and artificial light. During the day, roof openings bring in natural light, while the angled planes diffuse it gently, enhancing a sense of comfort and openness. In the evening, the same surfaces reflect interior light, creating a warm and celebratory atmosphere, transforming the visitor experience into a harmonious blend of light, geometry, and art.
Integration of Landscaping with Architecture
The garden design seamlessly integrates with the architectural language, as the S-shaped spaces formed by the roof guide the flow of weekend performances naturally. This connection between interior and exterior spaces enhances the visitor experience, creating a balance between movement, social interaction, and nature.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Although the Urban Sparkle project demonstrates a clear integration of light and geometry in the roof design and interior spaces, its impact on practical space usage and the urban environment may raise some questions. While the folded roof provides an immersive visual experience and highlights the technical possibilities of origami in architecture, the emphasis on dynamic form may pose challenges in terms of maintenance continuity and maximizing the functional use of interior and exterior spaces. Additionally, the strong focus on aesthetics and light reflections might reduce adaptability for multiple activities or future changes in building use.
On the other hand, the project offers valuable lessons for exploring how light and folded geometry can be applied in other projects, particularly regarding guiding movement within spaces and finding a balance between aesthetics and functionality. The use of thin steel materials and geometric folds provides a technical foundation that can inspire similar applications in diverse urban environments, provided operational flexibility, climatic conditions, and economic considerations are taken into account.
