Excerpt: Cong Audio – Gallery, designed by TNT Architecture, is a space where architecture connects people and art through harmony and contrast. Inspired by the Yin–Yang philosophy, the design balances opposites—motion and stillness, freedom and limitation—creating a dialogue between human presence and artistic expression. Through spatial inversions and blurred boundaries, the gallery invites reflection, interaction, and a sense of inner calm.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Cong Audio – Gallery is a venue for music and art lovers. Located at 39 Tran Quoc Toan Street, Hanoi, it has a third-floor area of about 170 m² (excluding common spaces). The project is divided into two main functional zones: one for enjoying music, art, and sculpture, and another for private banquets. Each zone is designed with the overarching goal of encouraging contact and connection between people and art. Here, architecture acts as a link between the observer and the artworks, resulting in a seamless conversation between human presence and creative expression.
In architecture, we aim for balance between conflicting components like motion and stillness, material and spirit, freedom and limitation, and the interaction between humans and the external environment. Our design inspiration derives from the mystical theory of Yin and Yang in Eastern thought, which holds that all objects and phenomena exist in two opposing states that complement one another, resulting in a harmonious balance.
We turned these conceptual ideas into a design language by using a series of inversions between the two primary functional zones: one dynamic—one static, one square—one round, one enclosed—one open, one simple—one complex, and inversions within spatial divisions on the floor plan. In the gallery, for example, artworks are framed and celebrated on a red carpet, yet in the banquet hall, humans take center stage as the main attraction of the same red carpet. Every spatial division is designed unclear, blurring the line between people and the objective environment.
It is our aim that this area would inspire visitors to engage in deep introspection and awaken their senses. We hope that our creations will spread a message of inner calm to everyone. We are firm that the first step toward a world that is harmonious and peaceful is finding inner peace within oneself.
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