The Jungle is a unique boutique mixed-use building located at an urban townhouse plot in Ho Chi Minh City. The East-facing 300 square-meter project site is located at a busy street in a high-density urban area within just 10-minute-drive distance from the city CBD. The site frontage is 10-meter wide, which is as twice as a typical townhouse’s width. On the other hand, the local urban masterplan requires a 12-meter setback plus a 45-degree angular edge at the South-West corner to give way for a major street expansion in the future. The neighboring buildings are ranged from 1 to 5 story in height, most of them are family houses, retail shops and small food outlets. The design brief asks for a 7-level mixed-use building with a comprehensive business model which includes minimum 250 m2 of retail and commercial spaces at lower levels; at least 8 affordable rental apartments located at the middle levels; and a food and beverage space on the rooftop level which is also opened to the public. Moreover, sufficient parking, technical areas and communal spaces need to be carefully considered and integrated into the design project.

At the heart of The Jungle lies a unique design concept - a tropical forest unexpectedly thriving in the heart of the city. Many balconies of varying shapes and sizes cascade along the façades, echoing the randomness of nature. In Vietnamese culture, balconies are more than aesthetic devices; they’re essential spaces for shade, socializing, and life beyond the walls. Here, they become green pockets - spaces for plants, encounters, and quiet connection with the city. Vaulted columns, curved glass panels, earthy clay tones, and countless plantings weave together a façade that feels alive, evoking the lushness of a tropical jungle. Inside, the organic language continues. The commercial interiors and nine cozy apartments embrace soft curves, irregular forms, and warm clay finishes, lending a sense of intimacy and fluidity. Each apartment opens onto one or two balconies lush with plants, blurring the boundary between interior and nature. Crowning the building, a rooftop café and co-working space nest under a canopy of slender tree-like columns and a glowing translucent roof. A zigzag stair leads to a rooftop garden - a rare urban refuge with sweeping city views. Together, these spaces foster a sense of discovery, like wandering under, and rising into the treetops of a hidden and charming urban jungle.

The design proposal of The Jungle strongly adapts to the challenging design brief. The building consists of a 150 m2 basement dedicated for parking, storages and technical areas; over 300 m2 of commercial and retail spaces on the first and second levels; nine one-bedroom apartments ranged from 35 m2 to 50 m2 on next three floors; and a cafe and co-working space on the rooftop. On the other hand, the vertical circulation core comprised of a lift and a staircase is located at the rear and all technical areas are optimized in order to enhance the use of internal spaces. Finally, column-free spaces maximize the effectiveness of the commercial and retail areas while some rental apartments might be combined to adapt to the future tenants' need thanks to the flexible layouts.

Passive design strategies are applied throughout The Jungle. The total landscape area is 210 m2, equal to approximately 70% of the project site and filled with native Vietnam trees and plantings such as areca; palm; rosewood; willow; betel; laurel; bamboo; etc... Desirable natural ventilation is engaged via large windows and most interior spaces including the basement and bathrooms are naturally well-lit. Vertical circulation core is positioned at the West to limit harsh afternoon sun entering the interior spaces. Solar radiation on exterior surfaces is limited by the use of double-brick walls finished in rough-spray paint while dense plantings provides sufficient shading and protects the building facades and rooftop from harsh afternoon sun and strong winds in tropical storm season. Besides, rain water from the rooftop and balconies is collected via a piping system integrated into the unique three-dimensional curving structures, then stored in a 3000-litre stainless steel water tank at the basement before being used for landscape watering. Low flow faucets, showers and low flush volume toilets and urinals are also installed in the building. Furthermore, solar water boilers; double-pane Low-E glazing; LED lightings and automatic landscape watering systems are installed to significantly reduce the electricity and water bills. Finally, many traditional and local materials such as Binh Dinh granite; Binh Duong ceramic and terracotta tiles; local and sustainably-sourced timbers; fabrics; porcelain planters are used throughout both exterior and interior spaces. Recyclable and green-certified materials such as Gyproc gypsum boards; E1-standard An Cuong medium-density- fiberboard (MDF); aluminum door and window frames are widely used in the fitting out of the project.

The Jungle highlights the symbolic image and important roles of a tropical balcony in Vietnamese modern architecture and lifestyle. The balconies not only provide shading and protection from the heat and rain in the tropics but also create transitional zones between the indoor and outdoor and act as effective social spaces where apartments’ tenants communicate with each other every day. Other shared communal spaces are also introduced into the design, including the landscaped courtyard and backyard on the ground level as well as the café and co-working space on the rooftop, where people living and working in the building can share a table and talk to each other. Moreover, disable wheel-chair lift access to the main floors as well as unisex toilets in commercial, retail and café areas are also proposed to enhance the sense of community and equity in the building.

One of the most distinguished features of The Jungle is the tree-like pillar structure which is randomly multiplied across the building facades. Each pillar consists of a concrete column and a three-dimensional curving pillar head made of two layers of mortar applied on a light-weight steel frame and integrated iron mesh. The pillar structures also accommodate a number of electrical cables and rain water downpipes, which are connected to the re-used rain water tank located at the basement. The shapes of the aluminum-frame glazing, doors and windows perfectly matched with the curving form and random placement of the pillars in order to create coherent and consistent architectural façades. Furthermore, the rooftop level is made of a unique composite structure which comprises of in-situ concrete columns and slabs in combination with H-section and RHS (rectangular hollow section) steel beams. The 300mm x 300mm concrete columns with different heights are arranged on an irregular structural grid to create a sense of randomness just like a group of trees in a tropical forest. Translucent laminated and tempered glass panels with integrated reflective films are filled in the gaps between the concrete roof slabs. At daytime, the sunlight is filtered by the rooftop plantings and the translucent glass-roof before lightening the interior space below. At night, the warm and soft light from the interior space is tenderly reflected up to the rooftop terrace.

In recent years, small-scale mixed-use developments have become a popular investment trend in Vietnam, especially in large cities where typical townhouses dominate the inner-city neighborhoods. This architectural typology in combination with reliable business models and decent design solutions may utilize the potentials of the site and maximize the benefits for not only project owners; developers; and tenants but also end-users and the public. The realization of the The Jungle is based on a creative design concept which strongly adapts to the client's business model while creating an attractive built-form as well as decent and naturally-friendly spaces, which strongly promotes for a new trend of lifestyle, especially for young people living and working in the city. The Jungle suggests a quiet provocation: that even in the densest urban settings, architecture can nurture life, invite community, and reconnect the city with nature, just like a whisper that architecture still holds the power to inspire, connect, and breathe life into its surroundings.