As a part of G8A’s think tank “8+”, which is dedicated to research and development, the HANOI TALKS series continued to spark interest in 2018 with seven invited speakers plus a special edition of “The Competition” film in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Specialists were given a platform to share and challenge their thematic of choice offering insight on topics that influence or are influenced by the practice of Architecture.
Thank you to the following guest for sharing with us a part of their acquired knowledge:

Olivier Souquet: Where geometry meets geography
Focusing on the agency’s Ho Chi Minh City projects, DE-SO Architects was originally founded in France and has acquired exceptional influence in Asia notably due to their implication in the design of Thu Thiem, a new urban area that is set to change the image of Ho Chi Minh City.

Dirk Boydens: The two towers, the fellowship of designers
Dirk developed on his experience within integrated design, where passive and active design approaches combine. This was illustrated with a recent case study of two tower competitions in South-East Asia.

Danielle Labbe: The New Urban Areas (KDTM) of Ha Noi: Spatial Dynamics & Territorial Issues
 “This presentation provides a cartographic portrait of large-scale land redevelopments (known as “new urban areas” or khu do thi moi – KDTM) on the periphery in the province of Hanoi. It draws on a systematic survey of KDTMs, produced by a team of Canadian and Vietnamese researchers in 2016. Our result reveal important discrepancies between the urban ideals that KDTMs were meant to materialize and the reality of their implementation in Ha Noi.” – Danielle Labbe

Dr. Tran Van Thanh: Vertical Illumination
Having studied & worked on international projects for over 10 years, Dr. Thanh is ASA’s lighting specialist based in Saigon. “Vertical Illumination” focused on lighting as a design strategy to maximize spatial quality, visual comfort, and energy efficiency.

Doug Snyder: Green Building in Vietnam – Regional Differences & Policy Development
Doug’s areas of focus include green building certifications, commissioning, deep energy efficiency, net zero energy, and market mobilization. His August presentation guided us through the differences in sustainable design between North and South Vietnam as well as more global differences in sustainable policy development internationally.

For a special edition of HANOI TALKS, G8A collaborated with Atelier VUUV, INAX, kienviet, the Ho Chi Minh Architecture Association and the Vietnam Architecture Association to bring the premiere screenings of Spanish documentary “The Competition”. As part of the event series Architecture Leaders Perspective 2018 the screenings held in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were followed by a panel discussion of invited specialist.

Marion Duquerroy: Site-specific works of art in Vietnam
Marion presented examples of works by contemporary Vietnamese artists such as Hoang Duong Cam, Oanh Phi Phi & Le Giang to question what it means in Vietnam, and in Hanoi in particular, to be site specific in the fabric of the city.

Federica Natalia Rosati: The city as a common: the role of citizens in the development of urban space & water sanitation infrastructures

Currently part of the TYCO-WSS project Federica leads research in Hanoi, Cochabamba and New Delhi looking at the potential of co-production initiatives and the way communities self-organize to access housing and adequate urban services.