L’Usine Le Loi / NU Architecture & Design

Architects: NU Architecture & Design
Area: 165 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Do Sy
Client: L’Usine
Primary Building Material: Concrete, Steel
City: Ho Chi Minh City
Country: Vietnam

L’Usine Le Loi, a retail and restaurant project by NU Architecture & Design in Ho Chi Minh City, adapts a 165 square meter tubehouse into a multifunctional flagship space. Completed in 2024 for L’Usine’s 15th anniversary, the project integrates passive cooling, local materials, and layered spatial transitions. Drawing on the historic Saigon trading post typology, the design blends café, retail, and cultural functions to support modern urban use while reflecting both local architectural memory and the brand’s evolving identity.

L’Usine Le Loi reflects their rebranding vision of ‘Modern Saigon’—a curated blend of historical Vietnamese elements reimagined for today’s urban culture. It feels like a suitcase of memories, unpacked and reshaped into something contemporary, layered, and distinctly local.
Interview with Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin of NU architecture & design

L’usine le loi / nu architecture & design

L’Usine Le Loi, completed by NU Architecture & Design, transforms a narrow commercial unit into a layered space that functions as both a café and retail flagship. Located on Đường Lê Lợi(Le Loi Street) in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, the project reflects the concept of the historic Saigon trading post while accommodating contemporary urban rhythms. The design marks L’Usine’s 15th anniversary and reestablishes the brand’s presence at a culturally significant site positioned between the Saigon Opera House and Ben Thanh Market.

The brief called for a hybrid space that could support dining, shopping, and gathering within a long, narrow tubehouse with limited natural light. NU Architecture & Design approached these constraints as opportunities, treating the limitations of the site as a framework for generating spatial clarity and functional responsiveness. Every design move was developed to solve a practical issue while contributing to the identity of the space.

To mitigate the tropical climate, the front façade was recessed and integrated with vegetation. This passive cooling strategy reduces heat gain and minimizes energy use, enhancing comfort without relying heavily on mechanical systems. Upon entry, visitors encounter a series of stainless steel frames inspired by the borders of vintage Indochina postcards. These frames act as a spatial threshold, signaling a shift from the pace of the street to a slower, more focused interior. This gesture introduces a subtle historical reference while guiding movement and atmosphere.

The material palette draws from Vietnamese tradition with a contemporary lens. Terrazzo flooring, commonly found in Vietnamese homes and civic buildings, provides a familiar and durable base. Walls and ceilings are clad in locally sourced ash wood, cut and composed in patterns that reinterpret colonial shutters with clean, minimal detailing. A spiral staircase built from steel mesh and painted in colonial green introduces vertical circulation while maintaining transparency.

The café gradually transitions into a curated retail space featuring L’Usine’s products alongside handmade works by Vietnamese artisans. Vintage furniture is integrated throughout the space, adding texture and continuity between functions. The layout maintains intuitive circulation, supporting casual movement and exploration. At the back, a full-height ash wood wall anchors the bar area. It details references to colonial shutter patterns in a simplified modern form, providing both warmth and depth. Vintage bar stools enhance the tactile and historical atmosphere without overwhelming the contemporary setting.

NU Architecture & Design described the project as “a hybrid hub where local culture and global influences meet.” That vision is embedded in both the site’s urban context and its interior articulation. The location, set between two cultural landmarks, emphasizes its symbolic and civic presence. Concrete and steel form the primary structural materials, offering durability and design flexibility. These choices support the refined material strategy within, allowing the architecture to frame a daily experience that connects with memory and evolves with the city.

L’Usine Le Loi reflects NU Architecture & Design’s commitment to place-specific design. The project balances brand identity, environmental response, and historical reference, creating a spatial environment that bridges Saigon’s past with its dynamic present.