Architects: UX Space Area: 120 m² Year: 2021 Photographs: Nguyen Nhat Linh Lead Architects: Nguyen Nhat Linh Concept Design: Nguyen Nhat Linh, Le Quynh Nhu Country: Vietnam
Phi House, designed by UX Space in 2021, is a compact 120-square-meter urban residence in Vietnam that responds thoughtfully to the changing role of the home in dense city environments. Guided by the concept of Pace, Hybrid, and Introvert personality, the house prioritizes a slower spatial experience, flexible living arrangements, and inward-focused design. Through hybrid spaces organized along a continuous built-in shelving system and the use of inner courtyards for light and ventilation, Phi House minimizes exposure to urban noise while fostering adaptability, privacy, and calm. The project presents a restrained architectural approach that reflects contemporary urban living shaped by both density and lifestyle transformation.
In the dense urban fabric of Ho Chi Minh City, where the rhythm of everyday life is fast and
unrelenting, Phi House emerges as a thoughtful response to contemporary living conditions.
Completed in 2021 by the Vietnamese practice UX Space, this 120-square-meter residence was
conceived amidst the challenges of rapid urbanization and the global COVID-19 pandemic,
when homes became not only places to live, but places to work and reflect.
The name Phi reflects the project's underlying design philosophy,
pace, hybrid, and introvert personality. This triad guides every aspect of the house,
beginning with a deliberate slowing of spatial experience. Rather than imposing a hurried rhythm,
the architecture encourages inhabitants to move through its volumes with calm and intention,
fostering an awareness of time within the compact site.
In contrast to the typical city townhouse, Phi House turns inward. Its simple front and rear
facades contain only the openings necessary for natural light and cross-ventilation,
mitigating urban noise and pollution while prioritizing privacy. Here, introversion is
not retreat but a design strategy that channels energy toward interior life and personal reflection.
Phi House rejects rigid spatial boundaries. Instead, spaces blend seamlessly. Kitchen
meets dining, circulation interweaves with storage, and living areas transition into work zones.
This hybridization of functions is articulated along a singular 14-meter built-in shelving unit
that runs the length of the interior, organizing objects and activities in an adaptable framework.
Central to the spatial organization is an inner courtyard, framed by the placement of vertical
circulation and service spaces toward the front of the house. Between dual courtyards lie the
primary living spaces, kitchen, living room, and bedrooms, each benefiting from daylight and
natural ventilation that animate the interior. This inward focus allows the house to breathe
within its dense context. Ultimately, Phi House serves as a flexible architectural framework
rather than a fixed program. Its minimal material palette, spatial fluidity, and quiet presence
offer a template for contemporary urban living, one that accommodates change,
supports introspection, and reimagines the domestic experience in the megacity.
