BOOM Communities: A Master-Planned Eco Community for Palm Springs

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The 100-acre development is an attempt to rethink home, community and wellness, and will include 300 private residences in 8 different neighborhoods. Desert sensitive landscaping, pathways and recreation trails connect all the homes together as well as to an entertainment complex, with restaurants and stores, a boutique hotel, a gym + spa, along with state-of-the-art wellness facilities. Residents of the new eco-community will have a chance to participate in a range of social and recreational activities and much more.

Ten emerging and well-known architecture firms were asked to contribute to the master plan and design one section each of the community. This impressive list includes LOT-EK, SADAR + VUGA, surfacedesign inc, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, J. MAYER H. Architects, Joel Sanders Architect, Rudin Donner Design, Inc., L2 Tsionov-Vitkon, Hollwich Kushner and Arakawa + Gins. And just as we expected when we first heard about the project on Architizer, sustainability is a central pillar of the designs. In fact, the developers are aiming for LEED Certification for the entire community.

Naturally, LOT-EK will be utilizing old shipping containers and prefabricated design for their neighborhood, while J Mayer H will be building rammed earth homes. Once inside the community, there will be no need for a car as everything will be walkable, and all buildings will make use of natural ventilation, thermal massing, rainwater collection and more. A solar chimney will be combined with an outdoor climbing wall on the wellness center. The developers are currently exploring the feasibility of a centralized geothermal heat exchange system which would feed into the entire community.

Construction on BOOM is expected to start in 2012 and will cost an expected $250 million. As you can tell from the renderings, the designs and visions of each architect are quite varied, so it should make for a very interesting and stimulating community.

Via Architizer

9 thoughts on “Superstar Architects Team Up To Design BOOM, a Sprawling Desert Eco Community”

AllForTheGreen February 13, 2011 at 11:07 am

Jesus christ, I didn't see a single picture that didn't smack of complete wastes of space and resources. Efficiency is what makes a "green" etc etc, and there's none of that worth mentioning to be found here.

Lynne D. Reynolds February 11, 2011 at 7:14 am

It seems to me that the sociology of housing is as significant a subject for discussion as its environmental impact. That the concept for the BOOM project initially arose out of a plan for a gay retirement community and then morphed into an all-inclusive multigenerational one would seem worth at least a single-line citation from the original Architizer article. A curious omission. Is Inhabitat as post-orientation as America is post-race?

nmorey February 10, 2011 at 4:02 pm

If I was developing a "sustainable" community in the desert, I too would have put together a team of architects that includes members from New York, San Francisco, Israel, Slovenia, Berlin, and a token LA firm. As we all know, the best designers for the desert southwest live and practice elsewhere. There are hundreds of well known architects in the southwest that can pull this off with the same or higher level of design. Plus, they all know not to use the word "sprawling" in their description of a desert southwest sustainable community. Obviously, BOOM does not know any better, but Inhabitat is promoting this? To steal a line from SNL - Really?

hydive February 10, 2011 at 2:04 pm

I so agree with the other posters. It's architecture, not this, that will save the world...

daniaren February 10, 2011 at 1:56 pm

I like how it includes some water features. I grew up near the desert and though water is a limited resource, it is not non-existent. There are naturally occurring desert washes when it does actually rain and the ground can't absorb the water. I will be curious to see how it is incorporated in this community! I hate it when developments move in to the desert and try to create an oasis where it doesn't belong but this looks more embracing of the surrounding landscape.

Tai February 10, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Oh boy, a "community" out in the middle of the desert. So, where's the water going to come from? Are those pools I see?

alohaillini February 10, 2011 at 12:55 pm

I agree. Creating a new community in the desert, far removed from other communities will create a drain (haha) on water supply and natural resources to transport people into and out of, let alone food and other goods that must be transported as well. The nation is still criss-crossed with train lines. Couldn't the resort have been co-located with something... anything?

miljanahorvat February 10, 2011 at 12:40 pm

How is this sustainable? Just putting the word sustainable in the title is not enough; on contrary, this is a mockery of the real issues of environmental impact. Completely agree with comment by michaeljanzen above

michaeljanzen February 10, 2011 at 12:09 pm

Sounds like a resort - not a community. Also... where does a project like this get the water in the middle of the desert? This isn't sustainable at all... it's a green-washed LEED stupefied luxury resort that sucks water from some distant aquifer.

AllForTheGreen February 13, 2011 at 11:07 am

Jesus christ, I didn't see a single picture that didn't smack of complete wastes of space and resources. Efficiency is what makes a "green" etc etc, and there's none of that worth mentioning to be found here.
Lynne D. Reynolds February 11, 2011 at 7:14 am

It seems to me that the sociology of housing is as significant a subject for discussion as its environmental impact. That the concept for the BOOM project initially arose out of a plan for a gay retirement community and then morphed into an all-inclusive multigenerational one would seem worth at least a single-line citation from the original Architizer article. A curious omission. Is Inhabitat as post-orientation as America is post-race?
nmorey February 10, 2011 at 4:02 pm

If I was developing a "sustainable" community in the desert, I too would have put together a team of architects that includes members from New York, San Francisco, Israel, Slovenia, Berlin, and a token LA firm. As we all know, the best designers for the desert southwest live and practice elsewhere. There are hundreds of well known architects in the southwest that can pull this off with the same or higher level of design. Plus, they all know not to use the word "sprawling" in their description of a desert southwest sustainable community. Obviously, BOOM does not know any better, but Inhabitat is promoting this? To steal a line from SNL - Really?
hydive February 10, 2011 at 2:04 pm

I so agree with the other posters. It's architecture, not this, that will save the world...
daniaren February 10, 2011 at 1:56 pm

I like how it includes some water features. I grew up near the desert and though water is a limited resource, it is not non-existent. There are naturally occurring desert washes when it does actually rain and the ground can't absorb the water. I will be curious to see how it is incorporated in this community! I hate it when developments move in to the desert and try to create an oasis where it doesn't belong but this looks more embracing of the surrounding landscape.
Tai February 10, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Oh boy, a "community" out in the middle of the desert. So, where's the water going to come from? Are those pools I see?
alohaillini February 10, 2011 at 12:55 pm

I agree. Creating a new community in the desert, far removed from other communities will create a drain (haha) on water supply and natural resources to transport people into and out of, let alone food and other goods that must be transported as well. The nation is still criss-crossed with train lines. Couldn't the resort have been co-located with something... anything?
miljanahorvat February 10, 2011 at 12:40 pm

How is this sustainable? Just putting the word sustainable in the title is not enough; on contrary, this is a mockery of the real issues of environmental impact. Completely agree with comment by michaeljanzen above
michaeljanzen February 10, 2011 at 12:09 pm

Sounds like a resort - not a community. Also... where does a project like this get the water in the middle of the desert? This isn't sustainable at all... it's a green-washed LEED stupefied luxury resort that sucks water from some distant aquifer.