The goal of this project was to create a restaurant and cafeteria with a capacity of 1’700 employees within a limited budget. Creating a dialogue between tradition, nature and contemporary Vietnam, the idea of the pavilion was inspired by traditional Vietnamese architecture – the town hall – with specific characteristics adapted to the tropical climate of Hanoi.

The drawn profile of the building blends into the vegetation of the surrounding park, mingling with trees, it seems that the users lose the perception of its limits. The canteen disappears into the landscape; the transparency of the façade creates an open interior space with no breaks nor visual barriers. In order to break the scale, islets of vegetation ensure natural ventilation, the patios are integrated inside the pavilion.

As a floating building system the structure followed a simple organization. The green roof and a veranda system protect those within the space of sun, complete the simple dialogue with the surrounding environment. Between the green supporting columns, the inside nature and the vision of the park all around, this pavilion fades into the landscape. It stands as a forest from the outside and a cocoon of nature from the inside.