Japanese Architect, Katsuhiro Miyamoto brings us a  smart and well integrated project called the Clover House. With a total built area of 76m2 proves that beautiful things can come in small sizes.

The house is made of two levels; a basement and a first floor. It is spatially defined by three elements, the rectilinear retaining wall in the basement, the external wall of the ground floor, shaped as a square glass box, and most importantly, at the center of the house, curvilinear wall shaped like a cloverleaf 4.6m (15ft) high that emerges from basement to the first floor and help define the different spaces in the house.

The main entrance to the house is located in the basement. It draws the visitor to the center of the cloverleaf that hosts the family room. Adjoined to this central area, lay some laterally excavated spaces, which, according to the Architect, looks like ‘Yaodong’, Chinese traditional underground houses. These spaces serve different purposes; private room for study, kitchen and bathroom.
Basement Plan	First Floor Plan
On the ground level, the interplay of the curved internal wall and the external glass box result in three loft alcoves, serving as private bedrooms. The Architect stresses out the spatial relationship between the shape of three clusters defined by the curvilinear partition in the basement and these bedrooms on the ground level, a perceptual relation of negatives to positives. Each bedroom interacts to the surrounding exterior space. All bedrooms are accessible directly from the outside.

Intervening in such a small site without endangering the neighboring constructions was a technical challenge. To avoid any earth sliding caused by the pressure of adjacent lots on the north and east side, iron plates nine millimeters (1/4in) thick, were prefabricated and used as both a mold and finishing material. The mold got filled with cement,  this way resistance to the gravitationally pressure got resolved.

Katsuhiro Miyamoto has succeeded to transform a small house with a simple layout into a rich spatial experience. The small site and its neighboring lots a real challenge, but the Clover House integrates quite well and positively interacts its surroundings.

More About the Architect

The Clover House is located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan　
Client　Toshio Iwasaki
Architects:
Principal-in-charge：Katsuhiro Miyamoto / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates
Project team：Isamu Tamaishi / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates
Collaborator　Masahiro Miyake / y+M design office
Structural Engineering　Masaichi Taguchi / TAPS
General contractor：Kohatsu
Steel construction：Nakamitsu Kenko , Mukai Tekkojo

© All material displayed in the Article photos and content are coutesy of Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates. No reproduction is allowed without their prior consent.