Architects: TOOB Studio, NOTES
Area: 70 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: Triệu Chiến
Materials: Phawood, Steel, Mirror
City/Location: Ho Chi Minh City
Country: Vietnam

The Chashitsu & Pottery Pavilion is a compact 70-square-meter installation conceived by TOOB Studio in collaboration with NOTES to showcase ancient Vietnamese ceramics while providing a setting for practicing Japanese tea ceremony culture. The design draws from the form and symbolism of the Êđê longhouse, a communal structure historically centered around the K’pan bench, an object associated with spirituality, ceremony, and education. This cultural reference reappears in the pavilion as a linear circulation corridor that also serves as a resting and tea-drinking zone for visitors. Minimalist interior treatments rely on black-finished industrial wood panels and controlled lighting reminiscent of traditional ceramic kilns in Phù Lãng village, one of Vietnam’s oldest pottery communities. Imagery of ceramic craftsmanship is integrated into the ceiling plane, complementing displays of tactile ceramic works. The project also encourages cross-cultural dialogue by integrating Vietnamese fired-earth vessels as functional elements within Japanese tea practice. Conceived as a response to the decline of Vietnam’s traditional craft villages, the pavilion aims to reconnect audiences with the enduring cultural value of handmade ceramics.

Chashitsu & pottery pavilion / toob studio + notes

The designers approached the pavilion not as a typical exhibition environment but as a spatial narrative in which architecture, craft, and ritual intersect. While its footprint is modest, the project uses cultural symbolism to expand its experiential depth. The reinterpretation of the Êđê longhouse offers a framework that extends beyond form, placing communal experience at the center of the design. By translating the idea of the K’pan bench into a continuous corridor, the space encourages visitors to slow their pace, engage with their surroundings, and inhabit the pavilion as both gallery and gathering place.

Inside, the composition adopts a restrained palette that enhances the sensory clarity of the displays. Black-painted industrial wood establishes a muted backdrop, allowing ceramics and the changing character of light to define the atmosphere. The lighting strategy draws from the image of the Phù Lãng kiln, where narrow slits of illumination heighten contrast and recall the origins of the objects on view. Suspended imagery illustrating the transformation of clay into ceramic provides an interpretive layer that integrates craft knowledge directly into the spatial sequence.

The pavilion also highlights the versatility of traditional Vietnamese vessels by presenting them as reimagined tools for Japanese tea ceremony practice. By converting jars and vats into tables, seating, and storage, the project bridges two distinct cultural traditions through shared material heritage. This approach underscores the broader intention of the installation: to demonstrate how heritage crafts can be revitalized through contemporary reinterpretation.

As Vietnam’s craft villages face increasing pressure from industrial production and shifting lifestyles, the pavilion stands as a reminder of the fragility of these traditions. Through its blend of exhibition, ritual, and material engagement, it invites visitors to consider the cultural and historical layers embedded in handmade ceramics. The project positions design as a mediator between past and present, offering a space where continuity, appreciation, and cultural exchange can unfold.