The switchback house is a single family house designed to be made from large prefabricated modules that are assembled and surface finished by students at the McKinley High School workshop. The design of the switchback house is a simple three-volume structure comprising of a main structure, the “core”, measuring 12’x 50’ that contains all the plumbing, kitchen, and laundry systems, which allows for a streamlined assembly in the shop, as well as two secondary blocks that contain respectively the bedrooms and living room areas. These secondary blocks both measure 12’x 30’ and connect to either side of the core forming a cohesive floor plan. The open floor plan of the living room/kitchen and high ceilings gives the public area a seamless relationship with the backyard; a critical space in the suburban environment.
Team
Andrew Mikhael and Eleanor Kebabian