Desert structure is an structure born out of harsh, unforgiving environments, the place buildings have to deal with intense warmth and daylight and low humidity and water provide. They adapt utilizing passive design strategies: supplies like stone take up and launch warmth slowly, for instance, whereas overhangs can present shade.
California’s indigenous and vernacular buildings had been climate-responsive from the beginning, with Spanish and Mission influences creating this custom. A defining wave got here in the course of the midcentury trendy motion, nonetheless; now, when individuals take into consideration structure on this a part of the world, they have an inclination to consider California modernism.
California modernism blends the simplicity, clear traces and minimal ornamentation of modernism with an indoor-outdoor way of life suited to the state’s scorching temperatures and pure magnificence. The epicentre of the motion was Palm Springs, which turned a playground for architectural experimentation. The buildings that popped up right here in the course of the midcentury had been rooted in each the town’s desert setting and resort way of life, in addition to the fashions of the Hollywood elites and rich retirees who lived right here.
At this time, desert structure in California continues to mix minimalism with climate-responsiveness, creating buildings that embrace nature each visually and functionally.
Kaufmann Home, Palm Springs
(Picture credit score: Joe Wolf)
Architect: Richard Neutra (1946)
Designed by Richard Neutra in 1946 for Edgar J Kaufmann Sr (who additionally commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater), the Kaufmann Home is a putting instance of modernist structure, whereas additionally incorporating desert pragmatism. Designed within the Worldwide Fashion (the dominant drive in trendy structure all through the midcentury), the house options geometric varieties, open layouts and a connection to its surroundings through supplies like metal, glass, concrete and Utah buff sandstone, in addition to landscaping with native boulders, cacti and desert flora. Deep overhangs present shade, whereas the U-shaped ground plan wraps round a central courtyard, harbouring a cooler microclimate.
Frey Home II, Palm Springs
(Picture credit score: Dan Chavkin)
Architect: Albert Frey (1964)
Albert Frey chosen the positioning of Frey Home II – on the slopes of the San Jacinto mountains – particularly for its orientation earlier than spending a yr contemplating solar publicity to find out the optimum placement of parts. The minimalist desert retreat appears to emerge organically from the mountainside (it was, on the time of completion, the best residential construction in Palm Springs), and a large boulder juts into the lounge, each dividing the house and grounding it within the panorama. Elsewhere, Frey used color to hook up with the surroundings: turquoise panels mimic cholla cacti and yellow curtains recall desert brittlebush.
The Integratron, Landers
(Picture credit score: Getty Pictures / Irfan Khan)
Designer: George Van Tassel (late Nineteen Fifties)
One in all California’s most uncommon items of desert structure, The Integratron was designed within the late Nineteen Fifties by ‘ufologist’ George Van Tassel, impressed by alleged directions from aliens. This architectural oddity is a wood dome constructed with out nails or steel fasteners, as an alternative utilizing conventional wood joinery, which helps regulate inner temperatures by decreasing thermal conductivity. It additionally produces outstanding acoustics, making the construction superb for the sound baths it’s recognized for right this moment. The Integration’s minimal footprint and off-grid location additionally mirror a low-impact method appropriate for a desert ecosystem.
Invisible Home, Joshua Tree
(Picture credit score: The Invisible Home)
Designer and architect: Chris Hanley and Tomas Osinski
Designed by Tomas Osinski in collaboration with movie producer Chris Hanley (of American Psycho and The Virgin Suicides), the Invisible Home, which is obtainable to lease, is clad solely in mirrored glass, inflicting it to ‘disappear’ into the Joshua Tree desert. Whereas strikingly trendy in look, the constructing observes lots of the identical design rules of conventional desert structure: the 225ft construction is elevated off the bottom, minimising environmental disruption, and its mirrored façade displays daylight, decreasing photo voltaic warmth acquire.
Black Desert Home, Yucca Valley
(Picture credit score: airbnb.co.uk)
Architect: Oller & Pejic Structure (2012)
The Black Desert Home in Yucca Valley (additionally accessible for stays) is distinctive for its obsidian exterior – conceived by Oller & Pejic to be ‘like a shadow’ – constructed from darkish cement panels, quartz mixture and blackened metal. The property is a visible resting level within the arid Yucca Valley; inside, the design intentionally reduces visible distraction from inside, focusing consideration on the panorama. Whereas its color might sound ill-suited for the desert, the supplies used within the Black Desert Home are sturdy and heat-tolerant, and paired with cooling measures resembling deep overhangs and strategic openings.
Edris Home, Palm Springs
(Picture credit score: Tim Avenue-Porter)
Architect: E. Stewart Williams (1954)
In contrast to the extra flamboyant houses of California modernism – which turned in style amongst Hollywood clientele across the mid-century – the Edris Home is inconspicuous and sincere in its supplies and intention. Located on a rocky knoll in Palm Springs, the construction makes use of locally-sourced stone and wooden and floor-to-ceiling glass to mix into the rocky panorama. Certainly, E Stewart Williams wished the house to appear prefer it ‘grew out of the bottom moderately than falling out of the sky’. A flat roof with extensive overhangs protects inside areas from the solar, whereas the format helps cross-ventilation.
Elrod Home, Palm Springs
Elrod Home, photographed by Architectural Digest in 1970
(Picture credit score: Getty Pictures / Leland Y. Lee)
Architect: John Lautner (1968)
In contrast to Edris Home, Elrod Home is a brillitant instance of the cinematic drama that would come out of California modernism. Perched on a ridge in Palm Springs, essentially the most putting characteristic of John Lautner’s constructing is its large domed roof. However the construction fuses this drama with nature: the roof is sculpturally segmented with cutaways that permit mild and air flow to flood the inside, whereas curved, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass partitions dissolve the boundary between indoors and out. Lastly, outside parts resembling large boulders are introduced into the dwelling house, anchoring the construction within the panorama.
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