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P R O F I L E | W H I TA K E R S T U D I O
TH E W I LDLY
Whitaker Studio's formation of a residence in the
arid environs of the California desert is a thoughtfully
configured expression of future design.
W R I T T E N B Y J E N N T H O R N T O N
O
ne is forgiven for thinking this design hails from a Hollywood backlot—its owner, after all,
is a film producer. But this is no set piece from a sci-fi picture, though it is a blockbuster,
a genre-breaking design by architect James Whitaker of London-based Whitaker Studio.
"In the spring of 2017, 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," Whitaker remembers.
"Whilst there, amongst the arid landscape and jutting rocks, one of the friends said, 'You know what
would look great here?'" She opened her laptop and showed the group a photo. "e picture was of an
office that I'd designed several years ago but had never been built," says Whitaker. e next time the
client was in London, he rang Whitaker and asked to meet up.
e meeting would result in the Joshua Tree Residence, a structure made from shipping containers
that fan out from its site on a mountainside where it nestles into the landscape close to the national
park. "Each container is orientated to maximize views across the landscape or to use the topography
to provide privacy, depending on their individual use," explains Whitaker, noting that the car garage
is roofed in solar panels to provide power for the house. e material palette—walls are painted white
plaster, the floor is polished concrete—is deliberately simple to make way for "the main event." e
shipping containers and the space they create. "Everything else is secondary to that," says Whitaker,
explaining that each container is positioned to frame views out across the landscape or use the
topography of the land to screen the house and provide privacy; those pointing skyward minimize
direct sunlight while connecting each space with the outside. "Really this is what I enjoy the most
Each container is
positioned to frame
views out across the
landscape or use
the topography of
the land to screen
the house and
provide privacy.
"
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
WHITAKER
STUDIO
I M A G I N A T I V E
