Legends in the Metal and Glass
The history of Vietnam abounds with dramatic events and beautiful legends in which are fancifully intertwined the national and adscititious motives. The architecture of the country reflects this fusion by available techniques and materials inherent to the time. Therefore, nowadays you can find there spectacular examples of such cross-cultural symbiosis.
The largest agglomeration - Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), retained the most prominent features of the foreign presence in its urban fabric compared to all other urban communities in Vietnam, and now its time to acquire another high-rise mixed-use dominant. Renowned American architectural bureau Arquitectonica commissioned by Bitexco Group has created the concept of the new building project. Ambitious high-rise complex named Ben Thanh Market Plaza (otherwise - The One), consisting of two towers connected by a common podium and a console ledges system on its facades. In international practice, the structure of such a pair of volumes with a integrated base is rather common, but the Vietnamese project of Arquitectonica has some intriguing features, emphasizing it a unique originality and artistic expression.
The idea of the Ben Thanh Market Plaza project was inspired by the ancient Vietnamese legend of two dragons, which are the symbol of Ho Chi Minh City, and in this cultural tradition sign strength and prosperity. From it comes the frequent appearance of a stylized image of these mythical creatures in the forms and materials of modern architecture. The new building reflects the two symbolic dragons of Vietnam rising from the heart of the city. According to the architects the 2 towers are designed to symbolize the bodies of 2 dragons. The podium represents the dragons’ coiled tails, while the dramatically cantilevered sections represent the heads. The glass cubes are figurative depictions of Vietnamese pearls in the mouths of the dragons. The image will provide a powerful reminder to current and future generations of both the Vietnamese myth and the symbolic representation of the city’s fame as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. When completed, The One of Ho Chi Minh City, with its iconic design and strategic location, will represent the new and dynamic Vietnam and will be a new city landmark.
Ben Thanh Market Plaza (The One)
Location: Benthan Plaza, Ho Chi Minh City
Customer: Bitexco Group
Architecture: Arquitectonica
Structural Engineering: LERA (Leslie E. Robertson Associates International)
MEP and Geotechnical: Vista Corp (Viet Star Consultant Investment & Construction JS Corp.)
Quantity Surveyor: David Langdon & Seah
CONSULTANTS:
Acoustical: DSA Engineering
BMU: Buro Happold
Facade: Buro Happold
Fire, Life Safety: VNBT
IT Communications: DSA Engineering
Project Details:
Net Site Area: 8,600 sqm
Developable Site Area: 6,168sqm
Total CFA: 195,805sqm
Total GFA: 161,294sqm
Number of stories: 55 stories above grade, 5 stories below grade
Height: 224.90m (Height to top)
Expected Completion: 2015
Full version you can download here
Materials provided by Arquitectonica,
text MARIANNA SMIRNOVA