T3 Architecture Asia Talk at SAIGON CREATIVE – Green Architecture Vietnam

It was really worth waiting for Tereza and Charles’ talk last week.

The audience mainly consisting in non-architects was enlightened on the whole process of an architectural work, from the first discussion with a client to the final construction. Tereza and Charles made us realize how complex this process is, ranging from a full analysis of the client’s needs, taste and budget through a permanent dialogue, up to the cooperation with authorities, engineers and contractors…

We discovered also what makes their agency T3 Architecture unique. It is this specific character in their work which is so exemplary in a developing country: they have an ethic. Their ethical rules include harmony with the environment, respect of people, promotion of natural and local materials and use of low energy systems.

A surprising thing in their work is that there is also something close to art experimentation sometimes, like when they decided to lay cortene steel boards under an olive tree to create a chemical reaction between the dripping oil and the steel before using the boards for the façade of a house in Provence. It is probably this common taste for experimentation with some artists and the conscience that boundaries between creative fields are so narrow that have brought them to conceptualize and build “la boite”, a simple wood box of 2 x 2 x 2meters that they put at contemporary artists’ disposal to be used at their own convenience.

Once again, a very interesting talk to listen to for those who could wake up early that morning…