DRAWING AND PAINT

The first project in Vietnam for British practice Foster + Partners, the VietinBank Business Centre in Hanoi, has broken ground with a big ceremony last Friday. The landmark towers, strategically located between central Hanoi and the airport, bring together the Bank’s headquarters, conference, hotel and leisure facilities.
The 300,000-square-meter mixed-use development comprises two towers, connected by a seven-story podium building containing conference facilities, luxury shops, cafes and restaurants and topped by roof top gardens. The taller tower, at 68-storys, will provide an energy-efficient new headquarters for VietinBank, one of Vietnam’s largest banking groups. The second, 48-story tower will house a five-star hotel, spa and serviced apartments.
The scheme has a progressive environmental agenda and is designed to mitigate the effects of the area’s high levels of humidity using a low-energy, desiccant wheel. The system draws in humidity, separating the water from the atmosphere and exhaling hot, dry air, which can then be cooled by ground water and released back into the buildings. This is the first time this technology has been applied in the region on such a large scale. A serrated facade, made up of projecting fins at 4.5-meter intervals, provides both shade and a unit of measurement for cellular offices around the perimeter of the floor plate.
Mouzhan Majidi, Chief Executive of Foster + Partners, remarked: “This is an exciting moment for the practice, as we break ground on our first project in Vietnam. Our design is a sustainable response to the climate and traditions of Hanoi and the tower will have an important symbolic presence – VietinBank will rise above the surrounding buildings to be one of the first landmarks you see at the gateway to the city.”