MINES TO VINES PAVILION

QUANG-TRI, VIETNAM

Architecture for World Peace

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THE CRISIS

Since 1975, landmines have exploded under more than 1 million people and are currently thought to be killing 800 people a month. There seems little prospect of any end to the carnage. In 64 countries around the world, there are an estimated 110 million landmines still lodged in the ground. The cruelty and catastrophic results of landmines affect populations world wide contaminating their fields –their only sustaining resource–and devastating their health and livelihood.

Designed in partnership with Roots of Peace, an NGO committed to the removal of mines worldwide, the Mines to Vines Pavilion celebrates the sacred work of this organization and pays tribute to the victims of landmines in the area.

A SUSTAINABLE VISION

Natural elements are used throughout with reverence for the surrounding landscape. The terrain around the complex shall be slightly sloped towards the water lotus garden, so that it may act as a rainwater collector. Gabion walls with local stone serve as retaining walls to shape the paths to the underground as well as the walls that enclose the subterranean space. Local stone is also used for all the pathways throughout. The pavilion is built entirely out of bamboo, a choice material in Vietnam.  Four solar panels provide an additional welcoming gesture on all four cardinal points and provide self-sustaining energy for the lights and the recirculating pump to support the waterfall and the irrigation.

INSPIRED BY

SACRED GEOMETRY

And the Ancient Wisdom of the Five Elements of Nature

EARTH
WATER
FIRE
AIR
ETHER

Inspired by Mother Earth and the ancient wisdom of the Five Elements of Nature, the Mines to Vines Pavilion celebrates the work of Roots of Peace. The shrine honors the place, the community, the purpose and the culture that it strives to serve. The design process afforded opportunities to explore how architecture could enhance our perception of and connection to nature in order to inspire a more conscious awareness of the bearing that our actions have on our planet and its brethren.

Five Element Consultant: Christelle Chopard

EARTH: CELEBRATING PLACE

A surrounding Spiral of undulating grass mounds envelopes the entire complex, symbolizing Vietnam’s cascading landscapes.

WATER: CELEBRATING COMMUNITY

A spiraling rain basin and waterfall accompany visitors along the journey to the underground shrine. A Lotus garden on the surface celebrates Vietnam’s official flower.

FIRE: CELEBRATING PURPOSE

A spiraling bed of resilient native hibiscus plants attracts butterflies to evoke immortality of love while celebrating the invincibility of farmers.

AIR: CELEBRATING CULTURE

A spiraling field of crops signifies the surrounding agricultural traditions that have sustained Vietnam’s culture for generations.

ETHER: CELEBRATING THE CONNECTION TO MOTHER EARTH AND THE DIVINE

With access from four cardinal points, the central pavilion is nestled among the four spiraling landscapes and supports connection to above and below.

THE OFFICIAL FLOWER OF VIETNAM–THE LOTUS–IS REGARDED AS A SYMBOL OF PURITY, ENLIGHTENMENT, SELF-REGENERATION AND REBIRTH