Project Name: M Hotel

Location: Da Nang, Vietnam

Architecture Team: Ho Khue Architects

Building Area: 23,500 m²

Completion Time: 2023

Photography: Hiroyuki Oki

Feature：

Project - Vietnamese architecture firm Ho Khue Architects has completed a 25-story hotel in Da Nang that reimagines the typical coastal high-rise through a bold integration of cascading greenery and sculptural concrete forms, creating what they describe as "a flowing stream on the surface of a rocky mountain."

The M Hotel, spanning 23,500 square meters along Da Nang's coveted coastline, stands as a critique of the repetitive, rigid forms that typically characterize beachfront developments. The architects have deliberately broken from convention by wrapping the building's fair-faced concrete structure with sinuous bands of vegetation that wind their way up the façade, softening the building's monumental presence against the skyline.

The 199-room property demonstrates a thoughtful approach to environmental design through its graduated facade treatment. Ocean-facing rooms feature expansive glazing to capitalize on sea views, while the west-facing city-side accommodations are set back behind verdant garden spaces that provide natural shading and passive cooling benefits. This strategic arrangement not only reduces energy consumption but also creates intimate green pockets within the urban context.

Perhaps most striking is the building's response to its immediate context. Rather than presenting blank walls to neighboring properties, the architects have carved out four dramatic sky gardens that punctuate the vertical progression of the tower. These void spaces serve multiple functions: they create breathing room between adjacent structures, provide communal areas at elevator lobbies, and introduce spectacular vertical gardens that transform what could have been utilitarian spaces into social focal points.

The project represents a significant departure from conventional hotel design in Vietnam's rapidly developing coastal regions, offering a prototype for how dense urban development might better integrate with natural systems. Through its marriage of robust architectural forms with organic, living elements, the M Hotel suggests a new direction for sustainable high-rise architecture in tropical climates.

Design Team - Ho Khue Architects, established in the early 2000s and led by Principal Architect Ho Khue, has emerged as one of Vietnam's most innovative architectural practices, particularly renowned for their sustainable design approach and integration of biophilic elements in contemporary architecture. The firm, operating under ALPES Green Design & Build, has consistently demonstrated excellence in merging environmental consciousness with sophisticated architectural solutions.

The practice's portfolio spans from boutique hotels to cultural facilities, with notable projects including the award-winning Son Tra Artistic Exhibition Center and The Nest House, both recognized internationally in 2024. Their design philosophy emphasizes the seamless integration of built form with natural elements, exemplified in projects like the M Hotel in Da Nang, where vertical gardens and sustainable strategies are fundamental to the architectural expression.

Under Ho Khue's leadership, the firm has garnered numerous prestigious accolades, including the ASHUI Building of the Year Award 2024, Gold Medals at the 2A Continental Awards, and recognition from global platforms such as ArchDaily and Dezeen. Their work is characterized by the innovative use of fair-faced concrete, strategic implementation of passive design principles, and the creation of dynamic green spaces within urban contexts.

The practice's commitment to sustainable architecture is evident in their comprehensive design-build approach, where each project is conceived as an integrated response to environmental challenges while maintaining aesthetic excellence and functional efficiency. This methodology has positioned Ho Khue Architects at the forefront of Vietnam's architectural evolution, particularly in developing solutions for tropical urban contexts.