Don’t rub your eyes—this incredible shipping container home is not a mirage. London-based designer James Whitaker is bringing his crystalline cargotecture vision to life with the Joshua Tree Residence in a rocky California desert. Arranged in a spectacular starburst fashion, the sculptural house will be powered by solar energy and optimized for protection against the desert’s harsh elements.
If the Joshua Tree Residence looks familiar, you may be remembering James Whitaker’s previous unrealized work, Hechingen Studio, proposed as an office in Germany. Whitaker earned the opportunity to bring his crystalline cargotecture vision to reality when the client, a film producer who lives in Los Angeles, saw a rendering of Hechingen Studio on a trip to Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The client, who owns a 90-acre property near the park, commissioned Whitaker to design a similar structure as a holiday dwelling for him and his wife. “With a background in nurturing creative projects to fruition, [the client] is, in many ways, the dream client!” said Whitaker, according to Dezeen.
Related: James Whitaker designs funky light-filled office space out of shipping containers
The Joshua Tree Residence may look eccentric, but its sculptural appearance isn’t out of place for the California desert, where L.A. wealthy often commission unusual-looking homes. The 2,153-square-foot cargotecture home will be elevated on concrete columns over a sloped site and surrounded by a rocky landscape with loose boulders. The home’s shipping container elements will be painted bright white and extended in all directions. ”Each container is orientated to maximise views across the landscape, or to use the topography to provide privacy, depending on their individual use,” added Whitaker. The modern and minimalist interior will features angular, white-painted surfaces with simple plywood furnishings and bright red Misfits seating by Ron Arad.
Via Dezeen
Images via James Whitaker
