SOM Consulting Partner John Lund Kriken, with Ellen Lou, Director of Urban Design and Planning, and Tim Culvahouse, Editor in Chief of the California Council of the American Institute of Architects, recently collaborated on a book titled “Building Saigon South: Sustainable Lessons for a Livable Future.” Published by Oro Editions, the book presents the master plan for the Saigon South district of Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City as a case study.
In the mid-1990s, SOM completed the Saigon South Master Plan in collaboration with the Phu My Hung development group. The project helped create a modern, livable, human-scale, and sustainable urban environment in a growing city. Offering flexible planning principles that addressed a range of potential development scenarios, the award-winning ?plan became an example of sustainable urban development.
“Building Saigon South: Sustainable Lessons for a Livable Future” shares design solutions used in the planning process to support residents at a variety of income levels, create eco-friendly open and public spaces, and sustain a civically and economically vibrant district.