Hojung Kim, assistant professor in the School of Interior Architecture, was recently recognized with two highly competitive, prestigious awards that will explore how growing industrialization will impact Vietnam’s heritage, environmental issues, natural resources, and craft villages. The awards—which fund separate projects, Dichotomy of Heritage and Industrialization in Mang Thít’s Sustainable Development and Situated Regionalism—include a grant from the Graham Foundation, a Chicago-based foundation promoting architecture in the arts, as well as the Experimental Fellowship At Bauhaus Earth, an award distributed by German-based research institution, Bauhaus Earth, that focuses on nature-based elements in the building sector.  

Currently on a semester of teaching release, funded by The College of Architecture and Design’s James Musgraves Research Award, Kim’s work is already well underway. He’s spending the fall in Vietnam working alongside research partner and local architect, Ha Nguyen, who also served last year as the fourth visiting professor to the School of Interior Architecture. Long fascinated by the country’s abundance of natural resources and centuries-old traditions, Kim will explore how modernization can bring new avenues of conservation and growth. 

“Vietnam is in a transitional moment,” he said. “Manufacturing has begun to shift from China into Southeast Asia, and so many of these Vietnamese villages rely on trades and traditions. My scholarship examines how the trade craft of these cultures will adjust to this shift as well as growing environmental regulations.” 

Mang Thít’s Brick Kilns – Preserving Heritage Through Transformation  

The art of brick-making in Vietnam’s southern Mekong Delta region goes back generations. The clay-rich soil combined with numerous waterways made for easy production and distribution. Affectionately called the “Red Kingdom” by locals and tourists, the region is known for the 1,000-plus dome-shaped kilns that line the riverbanks.  

Traditionally, families would operate several kilns each and spend the day shaping clay into brick molds, drying them in the sun, and using discarded rice husks to fuel the kiln’s fire that bakes the bricks. But over time the brickyards have largely been abandoned with just about 100 still in operation. Complications like rising costs, criticism over air pollution, and growing awareness of environmental contamination of the soil have contributed to the trade’s decline.  

Kim’s project will look at the big picture—environmental, economic, and social forces—to the smaller details of focusing on the kilns themselves, which are filled with the spirit of the village’s livelihood. 

“We’re looking to see if raw resources extracted from the region have indirect consequences,” said Kim. “And if so, does it have a direct or indirect impact on the bricks that are made because the main ingredient of bricks is soil.” 

While the uniqueness of the kilns continues to attract tourists, the traditional practice of brick-making is expected to disappear. Kim’s research also explores how these iconic structures can be repurposed without demolition—recognizing they still hold extraordinary architectural, historical, and cultural value and are considered by many locals to be sacred.    

“How do we reuse them in a way that still displays the local heritage?” he said. “It’s a complex project because we aren’t talking about just the kilns but also the environment; everything is connected.” 

Situated Regionalism – Globalization Rooted in Local Environments 

Kim’s second project will showcase the collective benefits and features of the soil in each of Vietnam’s seven ecological zones—from the upland forests to coastal wetlands—while also examining the sustainable building practices of local craftspeople.  

The project will unfold in four phases, beginning with careful collection and laboratory testing of soil from each region. The second step involves crafting brick blocks from the soil shaped to meet international building standards. Kim will then weave in local Indigenous knowledge to guide the transformation of materials into working prototypes. Once complete, Kim will create a Soil Atlas mapping system—a digital record of the country’s soil, tradition, and design—that will document his findings and be publicly available.  

Part of the project includes assessing each region’s potential for unfired brick construction—an approach that honors local knowledge while reducing environmental impact—to be included in the Soil Atlas mapping system. The resulting design tool has the power to link the nation’s natural, earth-based materials with the broader global supply chain, bridging local resources with worldwide sustainable building practices. 

One region Kim is particularly eager to explore is the mountainous area of North Vietnam, known for its rich soil, local fibers, and traditional practices. Kim believes there is much about their culture and practices that can be converted into modern-day structures. 

“They have so much Indigenous knowledge, and it’s not outsourced,” he said. “They are building and constructing with what’s available in the region. We try to understand so we can reinterpret that knowledge into contemporary design.”  

Kim has been conducting on-site research in Vietnam and traveling to Berlin for workshops and cross-cultural collaboration since August. The samples created will be evaluated by experts from both Vietnam and Germany. 

“With the villages’ diverse geology in mind, we’ll examine the native building traditions and what environmental challenges each area faces posed by colonial-era infrastructure, war-related continuation, and industrialization,” said Kim. 

Dichotomy of Heritage and Industrialization in Mang Thít’s Sustainable Development and Situated Regionalism will follow a one-year timeline. Kim will return to his post on Rocky Top this spring while continuing the final phases of both projects.  

“It’s a tremendous honor to pursue both projects—each offering a unique lens into the rich architectural heritage and rapidly evolving landscape,” he said. “I’m deeply grateful for the Experimental Fellowship at Bauhaus Earth, to the Graham Foundation, the College of Architecture and Design, and The James Musgraves Research Award for making this important work possible.”