Practice Le House architects has designed a tropical, plant-filled coffee shop in Hanoi that’s inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

An’garden Café was commissioned as a birthday present for the owner’s wife. The 750 sqm restaurant takes over a former industrial site, which inspired its steel-frame and bare-brick interiors that are covered in plants.

The three-storey building has an angular, shard-like glass façade that draws light into the restaurant’s interior. To preserve its huge volume, Le House has inserted blackened-steel mezzanines to create extra seating. These staggered platforms snake their way upwards towards the Hanoi restaurant’s overlapping, timber-slatted roof, leaving a huge soaring void above the ground floor dining hall.

Timber planters laden with hanging plants are suspended inside the space, while a tree sprouts from its concrete floor. Adding to the secret garden vibe is a small bubbling pond hidden beneath the staircase.

More formal dining is encouraged on the ground floor, where rustic tables and simple wooden chairs take pride of place. Cosy nooks for drinking and reading can be found in the space above, illuminated by yellow lighting.

As well as sipping freshly roasted coffee, patrons can tuck into modern Vietnamese fare with dishes such as fresh prawns with steamed rice and claypot chicken.

An’garden Café, 56 BT8 Hồ Văn Quán – Hà Đông, Hanoi

[Via ArchDaily]

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