© Le Lai
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Ha Nguyen & Hojung Kim: New Experimental Fellows at Bauhaus Earth 2026
Date
29/8/2025
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We are pleased to announce that Ha Nguyen (arb architects, Vietnam) and Hojung Kim (US-based professor) are the Experimental Fellows 2026 with their project Situated Regionalism. Their fellowship will unfold between Vietnam and Berlin, combining fieldwork, prototyping, and digital research to advance regenerative earthen construction rooted in local knowledge and ecological sensitivity.
From Forests to Wetlands
Situated Regionalism explores the use of unfired brick across Vietnam’s seven ecological zones—from upland forests to coastal wetlands. The project draws on local geology and Indigenous traditions while addressing environmental challenges from colonial infrastructure, war-related contamination, and rapid industrialization.
Prototyping and Mapping
In the Cao Phong region, they will investigate ferralitic soils, local fibers, and Mường traditions through the creation of a full-scale prototype. In parallel, they will develop a digital Soil Atlas—an open resource mapping Vietnam’s ecological zones as a tool for education and design. By linking vernacular techniques with new methods, Situated Regionalism aims to inform local building practice and broader debates on sustainable construction. Its outcomes—prototype structures, an accessible knowledge base, and collaboration with craftspeople and communities—are designed for direct uptake in future projects in Vietnam and beyond.
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© Trieu Chien, arb architects, arb architects
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“The jury was especially intrigued by Ha Nguyen’s proposal because it combines research of traditional techniques with a high-quality contemporary design approach. Together with Hojung Kim, they aim to reactivate local soils in Vietnam as building material, adding a specific territorial perspective on earth construction (…..). Mapping geological zones will result in a digital Soil Atlas that promotes regenerative building strategies on a larger scale. Their impressive portfolio underlines the high quality of work that combines cultural techniques with outstanding design.” Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Sauer (Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, Matters of Activity, Berlin)
“Contemporary architectural practice is only relevant when the work can be approached and viewed from a different perspective every other day. And every other day, every other perspective makes that work and that commitment fully available in a prismatic manner, without restrictions. And then the discourse of the popular and thus tendentious becomes universal but relevant. And then suddenly: the word beauty. No further explanation needed. Architecture. The practice of Ha Nguyen and the research together with Hojung Kim stands for this.”
Prof. Jan de Vylder (ETH Zürich, A JDVIV, Ghent/Brussels)
The Experimental Fellowship
The Fellowship is a collaboration of Experimental Foundation with Bauhaus Earth, supported by a network of project-specific partners and research experts. It provides financial support, mentorship, and a cross-disciplinary environment for developing sustainable architectural practices. The fourth Open Call, announced in April 2025, attracted 199 submissions from around the world.
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