It was in the 1950s that Malcolm McLean developed the shipping container which went on to completely revolutionize the transportation industry. It was the structural rigidity, industrial strength steel boxes that made transporting in bulk to be a breeze. Those same features that made the shipping container a godsend for transport, made them a godsend for building materials too. As history would have it, McLean’s shipping containers went on to completely change the world – from shipping supplies, creating instant shelters, emergency centers, all the way down to commercial and residential structures. And of late, architects such as Whitaker Studio, are increasingly playing around with these containers as a child does with LEGO blocks – unlocking an array of strikingly wonderful industrial sculptures and homes across the globe.

This Joshua Tree Residence is a true thing of beauty – breaking out from its core and exploding in all directions. The exterior reaches out like branches of a tree, soaking up every ray of light the day will give. The interior design of this Joshua Tree Residence is given a wide envelope with giant sculpted ceilings – eluding the reality that the house is in fact a construction of McLean’s transport containers. To those who come across it by accident, this home may seem somewhat of a mirage but oddly not looking out of place. Overlooking a stunning cinematic landscape, the Joshua Tree Residence can only be described as something truly magical.

Designer: Whitaker Studio