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DE-SO Asia bring attention to our client, designing with Vietnamese identity and understanding our Asian client with global international answer.
We design public and private spaces that promote the relationship
between man-made entities and natural surroundings.
— Work with the context
Architecture and
identity in Vietnam
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Our designs pay close attention to the surrounding of each project. The harmonious integration of local practices, cultural functions and local materials is immediately explicit in each drawing so that the relationship between geography and geometry is resolved in the finest and most optimal way. Our environmental concern in the broad sense results in sustainable construction, optimization of costs and materials and prioritization of organic materials. In the context of multiple ecological changes occurring on a global scale, both research on innovation and the use of sustainable materials such as wood are playing a challenging yet essential role in our mission approach.
Services
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Architecture
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Identity and stories
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Planning and landscape
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Design in tropical climate
Our identity relies on our in-depth expertise in the local features of different regional areas combined with the “savoir-faire” to apprehend and incorporate in a refined way these features into our designs and planning work.
Each project’s intended uses, functionality and materials are underpinned by our mastery of drawing skills, where geometry meets geography. The
construction process justifies the beauty of a building and gives meaning to
the architectural language.
It is through the visible work of the stonemasons and carpenters, that we can read its load descent and how the weight of the material affects the architecture. The filter is a way to give rhythm to the views, to visualize the time; and the course of the sun's rays; it is the way to work on the intimacy of spaces. It's like looking at a forest or the subtle arrangement of the leaves of a tree that dims the light. It's just a natural way to design a facade without thinking about style.
A construction is timeless when the building makes sense; that is the aesthetics of a project; when assemblies and filters work together with the climate…
Our
Lexicon
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We translate through our projects the quintessence of the Vietnamese spirit, its arts and its culture on its own territory.
It is about translating its spirit into a twenty-first-century language and to arrange spaces and places through various geographies and sites from mountain territories to mangroves.
The architectural language of our projects is specific to an agency culture, attentive to contemporary construction, to the economy of materials and to the fundamental notions of orders and rhythms of compositions.
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/ Platforms and supports
A platform is a ground where the nomad sets up his tent; it’s also the landscape lines that the farmer cultivates subtly in water, and an arranged space to help humans to work with ease.
This basic installation in nature has been used for religious purposes, such as temples, churches, and mosques. It is also a military stronghold that allows us to contemplate the world and its horizon. Standing on a promontory, belvedere, or terrace, these platforms allow us to frame our gaze upon the horizon and feel the landscape.
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Assembly and Filters
The assembly raises the question of meaning and constructive truth.
The assembly, the choice of materials and structure, and the economy of means and materials give meaning to the project.
A site whose load-bearing structure is obvious bears the beginnings of a beautiful building. Today, part of the construction process is often replaced with the smart use of assemblies linked to industrialization.
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/ Horizons, Lines and Fractals
Landscape: spatial expanse, natural or transformed by man, which presents a certain visual or functional identity: forest, urban, industrial landscape.
“Overall view that we have from a given point: from my window”. A factal is a geometric oblect in which each proportion has an identical surface, which means that whatever the angle from which we look at it, it always remains similar.
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/ Materials
The materials are selected according to construction techniques and the economy of local resources (origin and traceability, bio-sourced materials, material saving, ecology).
The elegance, the rhythm and the proportions then flow naturally and logically from the constructive qualities of these materials.
We try in our buildings to combine natural and non-composite materials, and at the same time, to assemble the structure and adapt it with the facades and the filters.
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Our
History
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Founded in 2016 by Olivier Souquet, DE-SO Asia has developed a wide range of skills, in fields ranging from public amenities to town planning studies.
Together with a dynamic team of 25 people in Vietnam, DE-SO Asia is willing to keep moving forward, constantly innovate and expand its fields of expertise so that it can provide diversified services of the highest quality standards.
Our accomplishments have demonstrated the high-demanding quality and innovative thinking in DE-SO ‘s approach to architecture and design. One of the most remarkable strengths of the agency is lying in public architecture (libraries, theatres, music conservatories, and schools), cultural architecture (museums, heritage sites, etc), and urban planning.
The attention to the specific geography and location of every project give evidence of our architectural creations as well as town planning projects.
We work on projects in the fields of culture and heritage, education, services, healthcare, and housing. We create guiding plans for large territories and undertake coordination missions, town planning projects, and enhancements of remarkable sites.
Just like our completed projects, which are notable for the qualities of their design, construction, and innovation, our design process reveals our rigor and perseverance in carefully managing each project to ensure flawless execution.
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François Defrain and Olivier Souquet co-founded DE-SO Architecture agency in 1995 in Paris and after about 30 years, together they have gradually affirmed their position via many international awards and achievements (DE-SO agency consists of four associates: Sandrine Charvet, François Defrain, Magali Lenoir, Olivier Souquet) and twenty collaborating architects, and urban planners based in Paris and Avignon.
For fifteen years the agency has been carrying out public, cultural, and educational projects, social housing, and urban projects in France and Asia. On two continents, our “savoir-faire” is based on the variety of skills of our team and our partners.
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Our Clients
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Our portfolio showcases the diverse range of clients we have worked with, including commercial and residential developers and institutions. Our projects span across different scales, styles, and locations, demonstrating our adaptability and creativity in meeting our clients' needs. We are proud to have built strong relationships with our clients, resulting in successful collaborations and outstanding outcomes.
News
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Our regular entries in national and international competitions reflect the many fields of research in which we are involved. Trying to understand the uses and practices of places today means understanding the cultures and customs initiated by the geography of the territories on which we work and build our architectural projects.
Latest posts
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Let’s talk
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Thank you for your interest. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please feel free to contact us.
Contact
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