Project Overview
The brief is precise and challenging in equal measure: a complete dwelling within a footprint of 12 feet by 30 feet (approximately 3.65 m × 9.15 m), organized around a curved plan geometry. The constraint of the footprint is not unusual for urban infill or rural micro-housing; what is unusual here is the decision to work with curves in a context where straight lines and right angles dominate. The result is a spatial experience that feels expansive despite its compact dimensions.
Design Philosophy
The curve is not ornamental. It is deployed strategically to resolve three problems simultaneously. First, it eliminates the dead corners that are the enemy of small-plan efficiency: a curved wall has no corners to accumulate clutter or interrupt the flow of space. Second, the curve creates directionality within the long, narrow plan — as you move through the house from entry to the far end, the curving walls subtly guide you, creating a sense of journey and discovery that a straight corridor cannot. Third, the curves allow each zone of the plan to have a distinct character — expansive where the curve opens outward, intimate where it closes inward — without the need for walls or doors to separate them.
Technical Specifications
Structure: Light-gauge steel framing throughout, curved to the plan geometry using CNC-cut steel studs with pre-bent flanges. The curved walls are sheathed in double-layered gypsum board, wet-bent to the required radius. The floor structure is a steel joist system spanning the 12-foot width, seated on a continuous perimeter foundation beam.
Exterior: The exterior expression of the curved plan is a continuous shell of pre-finished fibre cement panels, applied to a thermally broken metal subframe. The panels are cut to follow the plan curves, creating a smooth, seamless exterior surface. The roofline follows a simple gable form, providing volume for a loft or storage level above the main floor.
Dimensions: 12 ft (3.66 m) wide × 30 ft (9.14 m) long. Main floor approximately 33 m²; loft level (partial) approximately 12 m²; total habitable area approximately 45 m².
Blueprint & Floor Plan Notes
Entry at the short end of the plan opens into a combined living and dining space. The south wall curves outward here, maximizing the perceived width of the room and creating a south-facing bay for seating or a small dining table. Moving deeper into the plan, a kitchen occupies the mid-section, with curved cabinetry that mirrors the wall geometry. A bathroom is tucked into the narrowest point of the plan, where the north wall curves inward to create a sheltered recess.
The far end of the plan is the bedroom: a private zone separated from the kitchen by a curved sliding screen rather than a fixed partition. The bedroom benefits from windows on both the end wall and the long east elevation, giving it a cross-ventilated, corner-room quality despite being entirely within the linear envelope.
The loft above is accessed by a ship’s-ladder stair tucked against the north wall between the kitchen and bathroom. It provides 12 m² of sleeping or storage space under the gable, with a small fixed window at the ridge for light and ventilation.
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