English Classroom
Cat Dang, Viet Nam

The government of Viet Nam has established a policy that all high school students will learn English. An American who has been exporting the crafts of the village of Cat Dang offered to donate the funds for such a building and to support a teacher's salary. Black River Architects designed the school, pro bono.

A The project consisted of a new classroom for English instruction and an attached residence for the teacher. The building was sited at the center of the multi-building campus of a regional high school, strengthening the existing pattern of open space and in a design in keeping with the vernacular forms of the other buildings. To keep the project within budget, the design employed local building materials and technologies. The project was built with local labor in the course of a single building season.