Situated on a 90-acre plot owned by Los Angeles-based film producer James Whitaker, the house is a reconfiguration of an earlier concept by Whitaker Studio for an office building comprising a cluster of angled shipping containers in Germany that was never realized.
“Earlier this year my client in LA had some friends visiting and, having a little time to spare, they all went on a road trip to visit the client’s plot of land in Joshua Tree,” explains studio founder James Whitaker. “Whilst there, amongst the arid landscape and jutting rocks, one of the friends said, ‘you know what would look great here?’, before opening her laptop to show everyone a picture she’d seen on the internet.
“The picture was of an office that I’d designed several years ago but had never been built. And so it came to pass that next time the client was in London he got in touch and asked to meet up.”
The 200sqm residence merges several shipping containers, forming its starburst-shaped exoskeleton. Every container is orientated to maximize views across the landscape or to use the topography to provide privacy, depending on their individual use. The residence features three ensuite bedrooms, a kitchen and a spacious living room, each displaying a different aspect of Joshua Tree. Additionally, a car garage roofed in solar panels provides power for the house.
Work is scheduled to begin next year on the Joshua Tree Residence, which was designed for a film producer and his wife, who live in Los Angeles.
