First look at MAD's newly built Clover House

2016-08-24T18:02:00-04:00

Over one year after its groundbreaking ceremony, MAD's Clover House is now complete. Built next to a rice paddy field in Okazaki, the family-run kindergarten marks MAD's first project in Japan. Siblings Kentaro and Tamaki Nara, who originally operated the kindergarten from their family's two-story house, commissioned MAD to redesign the home into a new kindergarten that can provide a nurturing learning environment.

Wrapped in a white exterior shell, the Clover House's organic form and haphazardly placed windows are meant to evoke a sense of playfulness, as if it were “designed from a child's point of view,” stated MAD founder Ma Yansong. “We wanted to create a playful piece of architecture that would stay in the memory of the kids when they have grown up.”

During special occasions and school activities, the kids can doodle on the exterior shell as a way to create memories of their time there, MAD partner and Clover House lead architect Yosuke Hayano previously told Archinect. Students...

MAD blurs boundaries with the Clover House kindergarten and teacher housing

2015-05-23T11:06:00-04:00

Exterior becomes interior, public space overlaps with private space, and society is integrated into nature: or is it? These are but a few of the concepts seemingly behind the design of MAD's Clover House, a Kindergarten adjacent to a Japanese rice paddy field that also serves as a private residence for the teachers of the school at night. The house had its official groundbreaking on May 13th, and has attracted international press attention for its undulating paper-like shell and innovative spatial configuration.

Built over a pre-existing 105 square meter row-house, the MAD design incorporates the existing wooden mass-produced home by removing its walls and draping a new exterior over the frame. This purposefully fosters a sense of community among the schoolchildren, which is in keeping with the school's stated mission to create openness and emotional bonds between its students.

But is the design itself actually articulated and reflective of its surroundings, or is it just another flas...

Archinect - News

First look at MAD's newly built Clover House

MAD blurs boundaries with the Clover House kindergarten and teacher housing