Vietnamese students win international design award for Lang Nu housing project

The C-IDEA Design Award 2026 was organized by the C-IDEA International Design Union in collaboration with the organizers of the Krosno Design Festival in Krosno, Poland.

The award-winning project was designed by Vo Nguyen Minh Nhat and Vo Van Duc, students at the university's School of Engineering and Technology, under the guidance of architect and lecturer Nguyen Hoang Long.

Inspired by the losses suffered by Lang Nu residents after typhoon Yagi, the project places children at the center of the design. It aims to provide them with a safe space for learning, health care, and daily activities while supporting the community's recovery.

The design is planned on elevated, sloping terrain to reduce the risk of flooding and flash floods while minimizing excavation and preserving the stability of the site, according to the university.

The structure is raised above the ground on columns, allowing floodwater to pass underneath and helping protect the building from moisture. Its steep roof is designed to quickly drain rainwater, while ventilation openings and wooden louvers help improve natural airflow and reduce heat inside.

'V-Nest 80' combines modern construction techniques with features inspired by traditional local stilt houses. 

The use of modular structural elements is intended to make the building easier to assemble, maintain, and replace, particularly in areas that may require rapid reconstruction after natural disasters.

The project consists of three main functional areas: sanitation and clean water facilities, a medical area, and living and learning spaces.

The living and learning area is designed as an open space without enclosed walls, allowing children to study while staying connected with the surrounding natural environment.

The design also incorporates the surrounding landscape. The green hills around the site are intended to provide children with space to play and interact while creating a more peaceful environment following the trauma caused by the disaster, according to the project team.

Nhat said the students wanted to apply what they had learned at university to create a practical design with community value. 

Participating in the international competition also gave them an opportunity to test their ideas against those of designers from other countries.

Long said the team considered the site, spatial organization, structure, materials, terrain, and climate when developing the project. 

He praised the students for pursuing an architectural idea with humanitarian and community-oriented values and turning it into a feasible design.

As a global juried design competition open to designers and students aged under 26, as well as professionals, the C-IDEA Design Award 2026 recognizes outstanding creative work across multiple design disciplines.

The competition attracted entries from 45 countries and territories, including the United States, Japan, China, Germany, and Spain. 

The entries were evaluated by an international panel of 41 designers and experts, according to Duy Tan University.