These stylish, modern prefab homes and workspaces have moved the needle on architectural innovation in the West
Huge expanses of glass. Exterior walls that roll up and virtually disappear. Almost 2,400 square feet of deck. Bedrooms with reclaimed-fir screens, mounted on barn-door sliders, that let inhabitants reposition the panels, as needed, to temper the sunlight. Jeanne and Paul Moseley’s pre-fab house opens wide to the great Western landscape where they camp and fish: the Ruby Valley and five surrounding mountain ranges. That rugged-meets-sophisticated sensibility runs throughout this home, designed by architect E.J. Engler of Medicine Hat and interior designer Stephanie Sandston of Greathouse Workroom in Bozeman.
Tim Palen Studio at Shadow Mountain-Joshua Tree, California
A proponent of green design since the early days of the solar movement, architect Walter Scott Perry of Eco Tech has always incorporated the idea of reusing and repurposing materials into his design philosophy. The container, says Perry, “represents a great opportunity to create sustainable, low-cost and aesthetically attractive housing that can be shipped easily and quickly anywhere in the world.” This dramatic prefab residence in Joshua Tree, the first repurposed container home permitted and built in the Mojave Desert, is one great example.
Boucher Grygier Residence-Berkeley, California
Leger Wanaselja Architects, a Berkeley, CA firm, created this home out of a shipping container, which they cite as an “excellent example“ of a cost effective way to build a house with a very low environmental footprint.
Modern Cottage-Northern California
Sunset Magazine partnered with San Francisco-based prefab firm Modern Cabana to create a pared-down, modular prefab project that provides a bit more square footage without the need for an over-the-top home addition. The resulting guest suite and home office function separately as highly flexible bonus rooms. And combined with the outdoor entertaining areas, they offer a compelling model of minimalist living.
