Architect Designs Incredible House Out Of Shipping Containers, And The Interior Is As Good As The Exterior
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Living in a shipping container in the middle of the desert might not sound like everybody’s idea of fun, but wait until you see this stunning creation by London-based designer James Whitaker.
The 200-square metre house, which includes a kitchen, a living room, and three en-suite bedrooms, is made from several conjoined shipping containers set at various different angles, creating the illusion of a flower blooming in the desert or a structure more akin to another world entirely. It was designed for an unnamed film producer who has a passion for nurturing creative projects, and as you can see, it doesn’t get much more creative this this!
“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,” said James. “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, so the next time the client was in London he got in touch and asked to meet up.”
The home, called The Joshua Tree Residence, will be built on the client’s 90-acre plot of land in California, and construction is scheduled to begin next year. Once finished, the residence, which will be solar powered from panels on the garage roof, will offer stunning views across the surrounding landscape from the many windows and the large wooden deck. Still don’t think living in a shipping container in the desert sounds like fun?
More info: Whitaker Studio
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Certainly creative and artistic, but not homely, but that's just me am more of a traditionalist when it comes to architecture!
Agreed. All of the white walls and random corridors makes it feel like some sort of insane asylum.
Well some of us feel at home in insane asylums.. I mean.. eh.. so I heard
Linda, you just made my day!
I think you mean homey, homely is a synonym for ugly.
Ahh this is a cultural difference. In America it can mean ugly but in Britain 'homely' means what I said. Just googled it!
I suppose an architect will design a house and a family will make a home. Very different one to the other.
Much more room for tons more cats...time for more rescues.
It's pretty interesting, but the space is kinda...angled. Too tight, too many sharp corners. Also the superior windows are inside the container, they should have been at the end. Easier to be cleaned and no dust or water could have settled at the bottom of the windows, on the exterior. But a cool idea nonetheless.
Can you imagine vacuuming that place? What a nightmare!
And trying to change the sheets on the bed! No thanks 🤔
Oh come on, how much dust could a house in the middle of all that sand accumulate? 😉
The house stays cooler with the windows recessed. The end of the container acts as an eave/awning. I know this is stating the obvious but shade is muy importante in the desert! Genius design!
That was the other thing I noticed. I'm a bit of a claustrophobe, and there's nowhere in that house you could walk without smacking into a concrete wall. I wouldn't last ten minutes in that place. It's my idea of a nightmare. No windows, no exits, no visible doors? I guess if someone wanted a murder weapon, that house would do it for me. I'd rather scoop out my own lungs with a grapefruit spoon than live in a place like that. ... Our design is a take on Mid Century designs in that there are virtually no interior walls, pocket doors are used instead of standard doors, and the entire side of the house facing down the hill is glass. With doors.
@ Linda Turner - Shipping containers aren't all that big. The renderings are in proportion to what they'd look like put together. Remember that the original containers aren't insulated at all, and you can see all of the seams in the metal. They would have to put in miles of insulation and drywall to make them reasonably habitable. And of course, that's the other issue. The desert gets cold at night. It would cost several small fortunes to heat all of those exposed walls, no matter how well insulated they are. ... Pretty artist renderings ignore a lot, and people would do well to see the mechanicals in all of these pretty designs before they sign up. .... Heated floors have to be electrical UNLESS you can install a boiler below ground level to heat them. Not possible in that terrain. The sheer tonnage of cobwebs in all of those corners is enough to put me off entirely.
Yeah, I am pretty sure those containers are much larger than this rendering shows. If I read this right, this is not built yet, just a rendering. If so, the bed would be smaller in the space. For sure the furnishings need to be much cozier than this stark, cold stuff.
No kitchen. Are we ordering in? If so, from where??
“The 200-square metre house, which includes a kitchen, a living room, and three en-suite bedrooms,“
Or bathroom
theres clearly a bath in one of the pics!!!
If you 2 had bothered to read you would have discovered that there is indeed a kitchen & 3 en-suites, meaning 3 bedrooms each with a bath.
Not so clearly. It was very easy to miss. I had to go back up and check for it.
did you not see the bathroom?
Certainly creative and artistic, but not homely, but that's just me am more of a traditionalist when it comes to architecture!
Agreed. All of the white walls and random corridors makes it feel like some sort of insane asylum.
Well some of us feel at home in insane asylums.. I mean.. eh.. so I heard
Linda, you just made my day!
I think you mean homey, homely is a synonym for ugly.
Ahh this is a cultural difference. In America it can mean ugly but in Britain 'homely' means what I said. Just googled it!
I suppose an architect will design a house and a family will make a home. Very different one to the other.
Much more room for tons more cats...time for more rescues.
It's pretty interesting, but the space is kinda...angled. Too tight, too many sharp corners. Also the superior windows are inside the container, they should have been at the end. Easier to be cleaned and no dust or water could have settled at the bottom of the windows, on the exterior. But a cool idea nonetheless.
Can you imagine vacuuming that place? What a nightmare!
And trying to change the sheets on the bed! No thanks 🤔
Oh come on, how much dust could a house in the middle of all that sand accumulate? 😉
The house stays cooler with the windows recessed. The end of the container acts as an eave/awning. I know this is stating the obvious but shade is muy importante in the desert! Genius design!
That was the other thing I noticed. I'm a bit of a claustrophobe, and there's nowhere in that house you could walk without smacking into a concrete wall. I wouldn't last ten minutes in that place. It's my idea of a nightmare. No windows, no exits, no visible doors? I guess if someone wanted a murder weapon, that house would do it for me. I'd rather scoop out my own lungs with a grapefruit spoon than live in a place like that. ... Our design is a take on Mid Century designs in that there are virtually no interior walls, pocket doors are used instead of standard doors, and the entire side of the house facing down the hill is glass. With doors.
@ Linda Turner - Shipping containers aren't all that big. The renderings are in proportion to what they'd look like put together. Remember that the original containers aren't insulated at all, and you can see all of the seams in the metal. They would have to put in miles of insulation and drywall to make them reasonably habitable. And of course, that's the other issue. The desert gets cold at night. It would cost several small fortunes to heat all of those exposed walls, no matter how well insulated they are. ... Pretty artist renderings ignore a lot, and people would do well to see the mechanicals in all of these pretty designs before they sign up. .... Heated floors have to be electrical UNLESS you can install a boiler below ground level to heat them. Not possible in that terrain. The sheer tonnage of cobwebs in all of those corners is enough to put me off entirely.
Yeah, I am pretty sure those containers are much larger than this rendering shows. If I read this right, this is not built yet, just a rendering. If so, the bed would be smaller in the space. For sure the furnishings need to be much cozier than this stark, cold stuff.
No kitchen. Are we ordering in? If so, from where??
“The 200-square metre house, which includes a kitchen, a living room, and three en-suite bedrooms,“
Or bathroom
theres clearly a bath in one of the pics!!!
If you 2 had bothered to read you would have discovered that there is indeed a kitchen & 3 en-suites, meaning 3 bedrooms each with a bath.
Not so clearly. It was very easy to miss. I had to go back up and check for it.
did you not see the bathroom?