Terra Cotta Workshop in Dien Phuong
Tropical Space 

Terra Cotta Workshop in Dien Phuong

Tropical Space 


Next to the Terra Cotta Studio in Dien Phong, another work of the Vietnamese firm Tropical Space, this workshop uses its folds to embrace a preexisting kiln for ceramic bricks. Two walls rising 5.4 meters divide the main parts of the new construction: on one side is the visitor zone, elongated and bordered by shelves displaying ceramic pieces; and on the other, close to the river bank, is the artisans’ work area, whose floor of rammed earth harnesses natural humidity. In between is a long corridor and the cylindrical volume containing the old kiln. Inside, the architectural space allows a walk through the process of making the pieces, under a skylight. Brick slag, failed products, and pieces left over after a firing process are broken and reused as finishing material to cover the courtyard surface. The openwork brick walls of the complex, which incorporate low windows, direct air flows and create connections between interior and exterior.