Projeto desenvolvido no mestrado da AA_Architectural Association, Londres (2009). Trata-se de um estudo para implantação de um centro de biotecnologia na periferia da capital Hanoi, Vietnã.

1. “Biotechnology can be broadly defined as using living organisms or their products for commercial purposes. As
such, biotechnology has been practiced by human society since the beginning of recorded history in such activi-
ties as baking bread, brewing alcoholic beverages, or breeding food crops or domestic animals.
Biotechnology is a highly specialized segment of the life sciences industry. Its benefits are ranging from product
development in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, sustainable agriculture to solving problems of land and water
pollution. Biotechnology industry seen as a key growth driver for the pharmaceutical industry.
The Hanoi Biotechnology and Research Campus (HaBiotech), the first park of its kind in Vietnam, is designed
to be the centre of excellence in biotechnology that will link government, academia and industry through national
and international collaboration to develop new technologies and products to address regional health and environ-
mental issues. HaBiotech’s intention is to be recognized as a world-class biotechnology research and technology
park.”*
*Extracted from the official presentation of the HaBiotech development
AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
1/12
RETHINKING HABIOTECH
HOWEVER, THE PROJECT DEVELOPED FOR HABIOTECH, ALREADY APPROVED BY
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SIMPLY WIPES OUT THE LANDSCAPE REPLACING IT BY A
SERIES OF ORDINARY GLASS BLOCKS, ARRANGED AS A CLOSED CONDOMINIUM,
WITHOUT INTELLIGENT URBAN RELATION WITH THE SITE.

2. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
2/12

3. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
3/12
THE SITE
60% TO 70% OF VIETNAM’S ECONOMY IS BASED ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. LAND IS NOT ONLY THE FUNDAMENTAL PART OF THE ECONOMY,
BUT RATHER ALSO PART OF ITS CULTURE. ALTHOUGH THE COUNTRY IS UNDER A PROFOUND AND MASSIVE URBAN TRANSFORMATION DUE TO ITS
ECONOMIC BOOM, LAND STILL MATTERS A LOT FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE GOVERNMENT. THE RECENT APPROVED MASTER PLAN FOR HANOI ES-
TABLISHES 60% OF GREEN AREA INNER CITY (THAT COULD BE EITHER PARKS OR AGRICULTURAL LANDS) AND 40% OF BUILDABLE AREA. EVEN
THOUGH, DEVELOPMENTS FOLLOW THE SAME ORDINARY LOGIC: WIPE OUT THE EXISTENT LANDSCAPE TO BUILD MEDIOCRE AND CULTURAL DE-
TACHED ARCHITECTURE. KIND OF INTERNATIONAL COPY AND PASTE GARBAGE STYLE.

4. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
4/12
IN VIETNAM, LANDSCAPE MEANS HERITAGE, MEMORY, PERMANENCE. IT IS FROM THERE THAT ONE CAN UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE. FROM SEVERAL
WARS’ RUINS SPREAD ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, VILLAGES IN THE MIDDLE OF RICE FIELDS (WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL GRAVES) TO CITIES SURROUNDED BY GREEN FIELDS, LANDSCAPE IS
ALWAYS PRESENT AND ABSORBING THE EVERY DAY LIFE OF THE COUNTRY. IT IS EMBEDDED IN THE MEANING OF THE COUNTRY AND REFLECTS THEIR IDENTITY.
IN THIS WAY, ANY URBAN INTERVENTION IN VIETNAM MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SYMBOLIC IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPE AND BRING IT AS A CONCEPTUAL STARTING POINT, A
KEY ELEMENT TO BE PRESERVED AND, AT THE SAME TIME, TRANSFORMED ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY.
THE SITE

5. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
5/12
THE SITE
THE RED CROSS INDICATES WHERE
THE HABIOTECH WILL BE BUILD. IT
IS AROUND 2,000,000 SQM OF HOS-
PITAL, LABORATORIES, HIGH RISE
CONDOMINIUM, HOUSING, COMMER-
CIAL SERVICE, RESEARCH AREA, UNI-
VERSITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH
AS PARKING, ROADS, PLAZAS AND SO
ON. IT IS A HUGE DEVELOPMENT TO
BE SET UP IN THE MIDDLE OF GREEN
FIELDS, YIELDS OF RICE AND FLOWER
STRAIGHT CONNECTED TO THE SUR-
ROUNDING VILLAGE SETTLEMENT. IT
IS A BEAUTIFUL, VIVID AND PRODUC-
TIVE AGRICULTURAL SITE DUE TO
BE TRANSFORMED (OR DESTROYED)
BY THE DEMANDS OF THE INTENSE
GROWING OF HANOI.
HABIOTECH, AS A “WORLD-CLASS BIO-
TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND TECHNOL-
OGY PARK”, AS EXPLAINED BEFORE,
CAN EXTEND ITS CONCEPT IDEAL INTO
THE ARCHITECTURAL AND URBAN
FIELD, PROVIDING AN INNOVATIVE
AND SUSTAINABLE APPROACH, CO-
HERENT WITH THE SITE CHARACTER-
ISTICS AND VIETNAM’S MOST IMPOR-
TANT HERITAGE: ITS LANDSCAPE.

6. THE PROBLEM TO BE ADDRESSED
AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
6/12
HOW TO BUILD 2,000,000 SQM IN
500 HECTARES OF AGRICULTURAL
LANDSCAPE? SHALL WE FOLLOW THE
MODEL OF VILLAGES SETTLEMENT
OR NEW INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
UNDER CONSTRUCTION CLOSE TO THE
SITE?
THE SPATIALITY OF THE VILLAGES
MATERIALIZE A HISTORICAL RELA-
TIONSHIP BETWEEN PRODUCTION
AND LIVING AND ITS SCALE IS
STRAIGHT RELATED TO THE FIELD’S
PRODUCTION, LIKE A SYMBIOSIS.
WHEN ONE INCREASE OR DECREASE
THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE FIELD,
THE PATTERN OF VILLAGE CHANGES
FOLLOWING THE SAME LOGIC.
THE DRAWBACK OF THE NEW INDUS-
TRIAL DEVELOPMENT IS, THROUGH
ITS PATTERN, TO UNBALANCE THE
MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP BE-
TWEEN VILLAGE AND LANDSCAPE,
SUBJECT AND MATTER.
HOWEVER, THE CITY NEEDS TO GROW
AND THE AGRICULTURAL FIELDS
AROUND HANOI COULD NOT BE
UNDERSTOOD AS AN OBSTACLE BUT
AS AN ACTIVE SUPPORTER. COULD
THE FIELDS BE MORE PRODUCTIVE
THAN NOWADAYS? IN THIS SENSE,
IN WHICH WAY THE NEW HABIOTECH
COULD HELP?

7. THE CONCEPT
AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
7/12
HOUSING AND INDUSTRIAL DEVEL-
OPMENTS ARE BEING BUILT ALONG
THE MAIN ROADS, ERASING A CON-
SIDERABLE SURFACE OF LANDSCAPE
IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE GROWING
DEMANDS. THE RESULT IS: SMALL
PARCELS OF GREEN AREA THAT
HAVE NO USE FOR AGRICULTURE
AND ARE CULTURALLY MEANING-
LESS.
BUT WHAT IF WE COMBINE THE
DEMANDS OF THE CITY AND THE
PRESERVATION OF THE NATIONAL
HERITAGE THROUGH AN ARCHITEC-
TURAL APPROACH?
FIRSTLY, WE NEED TO REDUCE THE
FOOTPRINT OF THE INTERVENTION.
SECONDLY, PRESERVE THE GREEN
FIELDS’ SCALE AND THE SENSE OF
CONTINUITY.
IN THIS WAY, WE OPEN UP POS-
SIBILITIES FOR SEVERAL KINDS
OF LANDSCAPE’S APPROPRIATION:
THROUGH AGRICULTURAL PRODUC-
TION (FLOWER AND RICE CROPS),
SIMPLE GARDENING, LEISURE
AREA, SIGHT CONTEMPLATION...

8. THE PROCESS
1 2 3
1- DESIGN A 1KM X 1KM SQUARE, AS A HUGE COURTYARD TO FRAME (AND PROTECT) THE LANDSCAPE. LIFT IT FROM THE GROUND TO HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRAFFIC. HOWEVER, THE
SPATIAL CONSEQUENCE IS A MONOTONOUS AND CONTINUOUS STRIP WITHOUT RELATION TO THE GROUND. MOREOVER, THE BUILDING NEEDS TO BE BUILD IN TOTALITY TO HAVE ITS CONCEPT
MATERIALIZED. CONSIDERING ITS HUGE SCALE, THE PROJECT, AT THIS MOMENT, TURNS INTO AN UNFEASIBLE ARCHITECTURE;
2- AS ONE PUSHES DOWN PART OF THE STRUCTURE (MIDDLE PART, KEEPING THE CORNERS LIFTED) AND MOVE IT FROM THE TRAFFIC LINE INWARDS, A NEW QUALITY OF SPACE APPEARS, LINK-
ING THE BUILDING TO THE GROUND. EVEN THOUGH, BOTH THE PROBLEM OF SCALE AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY TO BUILD IT IN PARTS REMAINS, AND THE GROUND FLOOR IS STILL A QUITE
MONOTONOUS SPACE. NEVERTHELESS, WE HAVE DEFINED THE TWO KEY ELEMENTS TO BE ACHIEVED IN THE NEXT STEP: THE BUILDING MUST BE BUILDABLE IN PARTS KEEPING ITS CONCEPTUAL
PREMISES; THE GROUND FLOOR SHOULD PROVIDE DIFFERENT AND INTERESTING SPACES IN TERMS OF SCALE AND SHAPE;
3- BY EXTENDING THE SIDES OF THE DEFORMED SQUARE, ITS CORNERS BECOME AN ARRANGEMENT OF COURTYARDS WITH CLEAR HIERARCHY OF SPACES, FROM THE OUTSIDE TOWARDS THE IN-
SIDE. THE LIFTED CORNERS DEFINE THE MAIN ENTRANCE AND A SEMI PUBLIC AREA AND THE TWO FOLLOWING COURTYARDS A MORE PRIVATE AND ENCLOSED ENVIRONMENT.
AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
8/12
30M. WIDE

9. THE SOLUTION
EACH (LIFTED) CORNER PROVIDES AN INDEPENDENT
SET OF BUILDINGS THAT CAN BE BUILT INDEPENDENTLY
ACCORDING TO FINANCIAL POSSIBILITIES. THE RANGE
OF DIFFERENT SPACES ENCLOSED INTO EACH CORNER
BECOMES MORE AND MORE DISTINCT AMONG THEM DUE
TO THE FRAME’S MAJOR DEFORMATIONS ONCE THEY ARE
LOCATED, AND THEN SETTLED ON SITE.
THE ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH KEEPS THE PERCEPTION
OF A CONTINUOUS GREEN SURFACE, PRESERVING AND
ENHANCING THE SCALE AND VALUES INHERITED FROM
THE LANDSCAPE’S HISTORY.
THE DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE A FUTURE EXPANSION OF
200 HECTARES IN AN AREA NOT YET DEFINED. BASED
ON AVAILABLE LAND AND NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE,
WE ARE PROPOSING HABIOTECH’S EXPANSION TOWARDS
SOUTH, AS A DETACHED/ATTACHED ARCHITECTURAL
PIECE FROM/TO THE MAIN BODY, AS A CONTINUOUS
(AND UNINTERRUPTED) GROWING PROCESS. AN ARTI-
FACT THAT IS CLEARLY INFLUENCED BY THE LAND-
SCAPE AND AT THE SAME TIME, INFLUENCES IT.*
THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CITY
BY ALDO ROSSI
AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
9/12
THE LIFTED CORNER
VILLAGES
VILLAGES
HABIOTECH
HABIOTECH
FUTURE EXPANSION
EXISTENT INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT

10. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
10/12
THE ARCHITECTURE

11. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
11/12
THE ARCHITECTURE
GROWTH AND PRESERVATION CAN BE DEVELOPED TOGETHER,
BOTH SUPPORTING EACH OTHER.

12. AA ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
HANOI WORKSHOP_RETHINKING HABIOTECH [04/2009]
RODRIGO AZEVEDO
12/12
THIS WORK IS DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND MICHELE,
MY TRAVELER PARTNER TROUGHOUT VIETNAM.
THE ARCHITECTURE