Dec 8 2015
Hosted by the Vietcombank-Bonday-Benthanh Joint Venture Company, the grand opening of the Vietcombank Tower in Ho Chi Minh City recently took place with invited local dignitaries, US and French Consulate representatives, and the Pelli Clarke Pelli design team, Senior Design Principal Fred Clarke, FAIA, Senior Associate Aicha Woods, and Project Manager Richard Turlington, AIA. The project has already won the prestigious "Highest Quality Building Prize" from the Ministry of Construction.
East Facade. Photo courtesy Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
As Pelli Clarke Pelli's first commission in Vietnam, the new headquarters of Vietcombank in Ho Chi Minh City is the new urban landmark in the evolving skyline of District 1. The state-of-the-art 35-story tower is located on Me Linh Square, on the west bank of the Saigon River. The building's unique silhouette is distinguished by multiple setbacks, a celebratory crown, and a prominent spire. The richly textured exterior wall incorporates a golden granite within vertical metal ribs that accentuate the height of the building. Sun shading protects vision glass from HCMC's bright sun and integrated lighting illuminates the entire tower at night.
The building site is lushly planted, with a public park surrounding a fountain and rock sculpture. At the base of the tower, a loggia of six granite piers and a canopy mark the main entrance. Featured in the main lobby is a richly figured wall of Hualien green serpentine, flanked by screens of woven beech wood veneer in laminated glass.
The materials of the building convey both permanence and forward-thinking innovation appropriate to an esteemed financial institution. Working in very close collaboration with the client and contractors, the design team was able to deliver a building of outstanding performance and set new standards in quality of design. As the City of Ho Chi Minh transforms itself in the coming decades, the Vietcombank Tower will remain an important benchmark and iconic urban landmark.
About Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Founded in 1977 and led by Cesar Pelli FAIA, Fred Clarke FAIA, and Rafael Pelli FAIA, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects is an internationally award-winning firm. The firm designs buildings that draw from architecture's rich history, evolving technologies, and the partnerships they build with their clients. Their portfolio includes headquarter towers, commercial, residential and mixed-use projects, transportation centers, performing art centers, and academic buildings.