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HALFWAY HOME

LAGH DA CAVLOC, SWITZERLAND

GPS: 46°22'57.2"N 9°42'08.2"E
Typology: Residential, Duplex
Year: 2025
Type: Academic
Supervisor: Iman Fayaad

Deep in the Swiss Alps lies a man and his two dogs. He has constructed a home for both himself and incoming hikers, bikers, and backcountry skiers. This “duplex” serves as a halfway house amidst many trailheads.

The site itself is located in the midst of many trail heads allowing it to be a connector between nodes. This inspired the idea of movement within the form and circulation of the cabin.

An inside and outside massing was formed with the inner elements exploding as if they were moving through the outer element. By adding a gable to the outer element, it domesticates the massing and is finally blended through tangencies, while keeping the original massing concept intact.

The ground floor is the most porous, as it opens onto the main entrances and out, where skiers and hikers can directly enter the facade itself. The circulation contrasts with the dynamic massing by adhering to a stable rectilinear path, tapering upwards and downwards at each end, respectively, to provide access to the rising floors.

While the first and third floors remain haptically private to both parties, the second floor serves as a gathering space for the travelers and the man, allowing this cabin to function not as a halfway house but as a halfway home.

The cabin sits comfortably within the landscape overlooking Lagh Da Cavloc and facilitating seamless movement across the numerous trails that stem from it.