MIA Design Studio is an innovative master planning, architecture, and interior design studio which specialises in sustainability and ecological conservation in the design of the built environment. The company aims to create formal simplicity, integration of interior and exterior with fluid spaces, and relation with landscape and climate conditions on the specific site.
With the concept of sustainability, the company’s design projects foster creativity in terms of rethinking the future while considering the world’s condition for future generations. In that manner, MIA Design Studio’s interpretation for sustainability has also taken a lead role in their office in Vietnam, next to a central park in District 2.
Design Philosophy | MIA Design Studio
MIA Design Studio Office is a working place for innovative architects and designers of MIA Design Studio employees. The building’s location near the central park enhances the building’s open-plan volume wrapped in a greenery atmosphere. In terms of design planning, the office has got benefits from wide views of the park through window openings which are designed according to the calculation of tropical sunlight efficiency with suitable height to control the glare of the sunlight.
Although the integration of interior and exterior spaces increases the dialogue with the surroundings and human activities, it provides privacy with pleasure because of the greenery. With the approach of form follows function, the architectural design studio has a philosophy of purely defined open studio.
High-performance for creativity is a priority while designing office interiors. For this reason, MIA Design studio provides an efficient open layout of functional spaces with large tables for architects with the back of a vertical open library consisting of books, models, and materials selected and organized carefully. Moreover, the natural atmosphere provides optimal working conditions in the office; the ground floor is designed for testing the climate adaptability of contemporary Vietnamese architecture.
Although the internal function of the first and the second floor improves the operational capabilities inside the building, the ground floor is full of openness and direct visual connection towards the natural landscape which is named the ‘field of ideas’ garden. This area is also called The Transitional Space (the Gray Zone) to define the in-between variation of a monochromatic scheme of black and white as solid and clear. Therefore, the grey zone has both light and shade agents, symbolic of neutral emotions with biophilia.
Materials/Construction
MIA Design Studio Office provides open spaces with separated transparent glass panels as flexible ‘picture frames’ that the studio team can use for presentations. In interiors, raw materials such as concrete are used to create the spirit of biophilic design in architecture by reconnecting nature with concrete.
As an intertwining point of construction and conceptual analysis, an opening has a cantilever window bay, which is not only used for a sunshade to reduce direct sunlight but also provides double working space. In addition, the ‘field of ideas’ garden is a relaxation point with glass and river stones. All the elements in the space have the flexibility to have appeared or disappeared when it’s not needed to prevent obstacles in a free landscape.
The innovative office has an efficient open plan layout supported by vertical circulation. The circulation determines the building’s inner core by stairs which are surrounded by a library. The library and stairs have a strong connection with the steel-frame grid system and define horizontality with bookshelves/stairs and verticality with balustrade/ frames.
The building is in a balance of using dark-coloured materials such as concrete and steel and light-coloured atmosphere with nature; this separates interior/exterior and also relates with the visual connection. Also, linear lighting elements identify working tables by differentiating circulation areas and arranged in-between the open ceiling concrete slabs. Transparent glass surfaces enhance visual connection with green surroundings.
Sustainability
MIA Design Studio Office has an office that reflects its sustainable design approach in architectural projects. The studio embraced nature as a prior element in the façade of the building and created a corridor-like buffer zone of comfort, relaxation, and natural area of ideas to foster creativity. The openings surround the working space at 600mm in height from the working tables, enabling light control.
The ‘field of ideas’ garden aims to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by the efficiency of the natural atmosphere and creating light and shade interplay within a space.
In conclusion, MIA Design Studio Office has an office that identifies MIA Design Studio’s main aim towards building’s sustainability approach. It is a significant aspect of nowadays’ conditions, especially because of the climate crisis. The company’s purpose of enhancing natural materials use by supporting Vietnamese architecture increases the biophilic architecture concept to a further level. All functions of spaces require natural surroundings to increase user satisfaction but especially working should be in comfort with biophilia.’
References
ArchDaily. 2021. MIA Design Studio Office / MIA Design Studio. [online] Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/956242/mia-design-studio-office-mia-design-studio> [Accessed 7 July 2021].
Angelopoulou, S., 2021. MIA design studio builds own office in vietnam as open plan volume wrapped in greenery. [online] designboom | architecture & design magazine. Available at: <https://www.designboom.com/architecture/mia-design-studio-office-vietnam-open-plan-greenery-02-04-2021/> [Accessed 7 July 2021].
Archello. 2021. MIA Design Studio Office | MIA design studio | Archello. [online] Available at: <https://archello.com/project/mia-design-studio-office> [Accessed 9 July 2021].
Writer, S., 2021. Ho Chi Minh City office space of MIA Design Studio is based on light and shade principles and topped with biophilic concept – De51gn. [online] De51gn. Available at: <https://de51gn.com/ho-chi-minch-city-office-space-of-mia-design-studio-is-based-on-light-and-shade-principles-and-topped-with-biophilic-concept/> [Accessed 9 July 2021].
MIA Design Studio. (2020). One Day in MIA Design Studio. [YouTube video]. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVpQzfTKmws&t=83s. [Accessed: 10 July 2021].
