There are certain ideas about what a brick house looks like that pervade most of our imaginations. Of course, that's probably why most of us are not architects. The professionals at Tropical Space have a much wilder imagination when it comes to how to use brick in contemporary structures, as evidenced by the Termitary House. This brick space in Da Nang City, Vietnam uses deep red brick for nearly every surface on the interior and exterior. But despite the classic, almost old-fashioned look of plain red brick (and the trend of painting it a vibrant white), the house feels anything but old and stuffy.
This home, completed in 2014, sits on a 90 square meter (968 square feet) plot with 140 square meters (1507 square feet) of floor space, including a full ground floor and suspended floor above that. Even before you step inside the home, it is impossible to not be taken in by the creative brick exterior. Rather than a standard home exterior that would include a few windows to let in light, the entire house is brick. Instead of large glass panes, the windows are a grid of bricks letting in light and also air.
For a house made entirely of brick, the interior is surprisingly warm and welcoming with sunlight streaming in from overhead openings and the airy exterior. The use of wood as a whole is kept to a minimum, with a few pieces of custom furniture and a small cooking area with wood cabinetry.
Vietnam can get hot in the summer and very rainy in the winter. The brick exterior helps to, of course, keep its occupants dry but also to regulate the interior temperature. It is no surprise that baked bricks can stay extremely cool even when the weather is warm, and insulate well, too.
There are bedrooms on both the ground floor and upper level of the home. Narrow stairwells are kept comfortable by light from the upper level brick grid design and an intimate outdoor area is perfect for entertaining and relaxing.
