The Embraced Temple 

In Vietnam, there are many folk religions in which the Vietnamese worship many gods. One of those gods is Mr. Whale. The fishermen believe Mr. Whale protects them when they are fishing on the open ocean and brings them back home safely. Mr. Whale is worshipped in a temple near the harbor where the bones of a whale are held in a mausoleum connected to the temple. This makes the temple very important for the local fisher community. 

When the ocean water rises in the future, the temple will be threatened. This is the reason why my design is a structure that goes around the temple, so that the original temple will be protected. A dike connected to the building protects the rest of city from the rising water level and functions as a public square. The idea is to protect different buildings in the same manner and connect them all by this dike. 

The mausoleum was outdated. It deserved a better space, so it has been moved into the water to bring the whale as close as possible to the open ocean. By doing this, a pier-like structure was created to protect the building. The building contains a museum about the Vietnamese folk religion and has a Zen garden on the roof, which 

is connected to the public square. 

People can visit the temple, and from there they can reach the mausoleum by going through the museum, garden or gallery. People can walk to the end of the pier, where the mausoleum is located, as well as a watchtower overlooking the city.