Archinect - News

Nevadans are freaking out over mysterious ‘Space Odyssey’-like monolith that has appeared in the desert

2024-06-21T18:52:00-04:00

A shimmering monolith seemed to appear in the Nevada desert this week, captivating the imaginations of hundreds of thousands and spurring news reports in the U.S. and abroad. But the object may have been there for years. According to Monolith Tracker, an online community that maintains a map of monolith appearances across the globe, the monolith spotted by the Metropolitan Police Department over the weekend was first identified in December 2020.

Whoever did place the eerily Kubrick-esque mirrored 77-inch-tall object did so deliberately at Gass Peak, one of the highest points in the massive Desert National Wildlife Refuge north of Las Vegas. The police removed it on Thursday without naming a culprit. (I think it resembles the original World Trade Center's proportions.)

CNN says: “The pillar is reminiscent to ones popping up all over the world shortly after a 10-feet silver monolith was discovered in late 2020 by a helicopter crew flying over an Utah desert. Similar structures appeared on a California mountaintop, a forest in Romania, and the Isle of Wight off England’s south coast, to name a few.”

Maybe, as is the classic 1968 film, their true purposes are as harbingers for an impending technological leap forward. It could also be a rejected Desert X piece. Time will certainly tell whether or not the former will ring true.

NEOM reveals new Leyja resort concepts designed by Mario Cucinella, Chris van Duijn, and Shaun Killa

2023-10-18T18:24:00-04:00

Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megaproject has announced a new planned luxury resort development called Leyja that features designs from teams led by architects Mario Cucinella, Chris van Duijn, and Shaun Killa.

Details on the new aspect of the development are scarce, though the plan is to include three hotels and an experience center placed at nodes along a winding gulch leading inland from the Gulf of Aqaba.

Renderings show the structures being inserted into the 400-meter-high natural rock formations at the site.

The Adventure Hotel concept by Chris van Duijn/OMA. Image courtesy of NEOM

The 'Adventure Hotel,' designed by van Duijn, is stepped vertically as though a staircase leading up the walls of the cliff whose topography is accentuated by its form. The hotel is intended to provide a base for tourists to pursue rock climbing and other "high-octane" activities.

It is joined by an oasis-straddling design from Cucine...

Olafur Eliasson's mirrored desert installation in Qatar asks visitors to 'look down at the earth and self'

2022-11-04T12:36:00-04:00

Olafur Eliasson has completed a site-specific piece of public artwork in a northern-Qatari desert. Titled Shadows travelling on the sea of the day, the Icelandic-Danish artist’s work is inspired by the “interplay of human perception and the natural world.”

Eliasson’s piece comprises twenty mirrored circular shelters along with three single rings and two double rings. The rings are positioned according to the axes of a fivefold symmetrical pattern, while at the center, ten of the piece’s shelters are connected and arranged to form a five-pointed star.

Photo credit: Iwan Baan

Beneath the shelters, the ceilings are mirrored to reflect the earth. “Looking up, you come to realise that you are, in fact, looking down: at the earth and at yourself,” Eliasson explained. “Above and below, sand envelops you, together with anyone else sharing the space. To test what you see, you might extend an arm and wave to yourself or wiggle a foot while looking at your reflection. It is a kind of realty ch...

An Obama-era renewable energy project is finally about to break ground in Southern California

2022-06-17T19:05:00-04:00

The massive plot of land reserved for renewable energy production by an aging federal policy in Southern California’s Inyo County has finally gotten the go-ahead for development years after its initial announcement by the Obama Administration.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finally approved the start of construction of the two first projects contained in the 10.8 million-acre Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) after an elongated environment review and years of political toggling. The photovoltaic arrays are said to be capable of powering up to 130,000 homes and generating $5.9 million in what the Bureau calls “annual operational economic benefits” to the landlocked region.

Previously on Archinect: California to build solar panels over canals following UC graduate’s research

Construction will begin as early as the week of June 13 and could soon be followed by a potential third project pending BLM approval. The agency estimated that the plan requires a total invest...

Goin' glamping: HKS completes its Autocamp complex in Joshua Tree, California

2022-02-16T12:46:00-05:00

Just days after the firm’s extraordinary Super Bowl design fully acquitted itself on the national stage, HKS in collaboration with Narrative Design Studio has taken the SoCal spotlight again under the guise of a new, mid-century-inspired modern clubhouse retreat now completed in Joshua Tree, California.

Photo © Matthew Kisiday

Featuring a 55-key resort and 25-acre campsite, the new Autrocamp retreat is defined by its network of courtyards, firepits, passive design elements, pools, and walking paths that combine to enhance the area’s amazing natural desert landscape. Anchored by an arched Quonset hut clubhouse building, the site expands along a shifted axis to provide a seamless indoor-outdoor transition to visitors, who can each enjoy vistas of the surrounding National Park underneath an ample amount of wind and solar protection.

Photo © Matthew Kisiday

Per the architects: “One of the critical design drivers was to incorporate a feeling of both privacy and community on the property. I...

Telosa, BIG's new vision for the future, hopes to sprout up from the desert with the help of billionaire Marc Lore

2021-09-01T18:38:00-04:00

Fans of Bjarke Ingels are in for a treat following an announcement on social media earlier today of a massive new project that would build a city completely from scratch somewhere in the western United States thanks to seed funding from billionaire Jet.com founder Marc Lore.

Bloomberg is reporting that the Danish architect has been tapped by the entrepreneur for the master plan of the Telosa city project that will transform 150,000 acres of unoccupied community-owned land into a Shenzhen-like planned metropolis which will eventually play host to over 5 million people by the year 2060.

The plan calls for an initial investment in land which will then be transferred into an endowment owned and operated by the nearly 50,000 people who will inhabit the starter city by the end of this decade.

Images courtesy BIG and buchareststudio

The project’s goal is to transform the undeveloped swath of land into a model that “sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential, and become...

“Porsches in Nature” proposes displaying glass-encased Porsches in raw Utah desert landscapes

2021-03-18T15:05:00-04:00

Cars are crafted to take us on a journey to different places; to travel, to discover, and to explore an exciting adventure. However, automotive exhibitions for far too long have been dwelling cars on the inside within confined and enclosed walls reflecting otherwise.

Re-imagining this traditional museum display of automobiles, and with an intent to instill the true experience of personal freedom conveyed by automobile, Jared Zaugg, an automotive lifestyle brand specialist and multifaceted expert envisioned the concept of setting the exhibit en Plein air (outdoors). Zaugg pictured the idea of “Porsches in Nature” an assortment of significant Porsche models placed amidst a breathtaking landscape, where the sense of scale is softened by the massive expanse of nature’s backdrop.

“Porsches in Nature”- concept, an experiential outdoor museum exhibit in the Canyonland region of Utah, Photo credits: Jared Zaugg

The concept exhibition is in the picturesque Canyonland region of Utah as a sin...

Iconic Joshua Tree "starburst" shipping container home is officially on the market

2020-12-18T16:56:00-05:00

London-based architecture studio Whitaker Studio designs a three-bedroom, three-bath single-family residence near California's Joshua Tree National Park. While soothing desert views are always a plus, what makes this particular home so appealing is its looks and configuration.

The project idea was unveiled in 2017, and since then, visuals for the "starburst house" became a media sensation with its unique shape and clustered shipping container construction. Each shipping container segment ends with windows providing views of the surrounding landscape. Each shipping container is positioned at varying angles as it comes together at the center of the home.

Image courtesy of Whitaker Studio

With its stunningly realistic visuals, the home has not even started construction yet, the house is up for sale and listed at $3.5 million. An ideal desert getaway the studio interest for the property has only continued to increase.

Santa Monica real estate firm engel...

Yemen’s “Manhattan on the desert” faces uncertain future amid civil war

2019-10-19T19:45:00-04:00

A result of Yemen’s complex civil war – now in its fifth year – many of the country’s wonders have been damaged or are under threat. While the destruction pales in comparison to the human cost of the conflict, the country’s rich cultural heritage has also been ravaged.

Writing in The Guardian, author Bethan McKernan describes the ways in which Yemen’s ancient cultural heritage has been put at risk by the country’s tragic civil war. Sites that are under threat include the city of Shibam, a 1,700-year-old settlement built from a series of tall masonry structures in the desert.

McKernan writes, “The city’s 3,000 residents still largely follow the traditional living pattern, with in some cases up to 40 family members in the same tower. Animals and tools are kept on the ground floor and food is stored on the second. Elderly people live on the third and the fourth is used for entertaining. Higher levels are occupied by more nimble families, with childless newlyweds on the roof.”

Is "Burning Man urbanization" a useful planning model?

2019-09-09T20:00:00-04:00

Most of the structure that has been added since [Burning Man's 1996 revival] feels invisible to the people who come: the streets that are surveyed to be exactly 40 feet wide, the plazas that steer people together without crowding them, the 430 fire extinguishers around town, each tracked by its own QR code. The goal now, one planner explained to Mr. Romer, is to make Black Rock City just safe enough that people can joke about dying without actually dying.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer and The New York Times writer Emily Badger explore the urban economics of Burning Man's Black Rock City while envisioning the potential relevance of the instant-city planning model amid massive, worldwide urbanization.

A look at the must-see structures of Burning Man 2019

2019-08-29T20:55:00-04:00

Images from this year's Burning Man have emerged!

According to the Burning Man official website, "Burning Man is not a festival! It's a city wherein almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience."

Whether you plan on experiencing the festival for yourself, or just here for the eye candy, see below for some of the most notable sculptures and installation pieces from Burning Man 2019.

View this post on Instagram The temple is absolutely stunning this year... #Brutalism #BurningMan #Pixel3XL #NightSight #nofilter
A post shared by Myriam Joire (@tnkgrl) on Aug 29, 2019 at 3:42pm PDT
View this post on Instagram Your greatest Breakthrough is only found once you push past your deepest moments of challenge. Building the Pulse Portal with a broken foot for a week in the desert was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣I lost my crew and friends, I found ...

Revitalizing Las Vegas: Transforming the desert downtown into a thriving community

2019-07-30T11:16:00-04:00

Eric Strain, architect and associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, shared his goals and perspectives for revitalizing Downtown Las Vegas at the AIA Conference this year. During his presentation, Strain emphasized the developmental momentum Las Vegas has been brewing. Much of his presentation focused on the importance of creating a stronger community outside the strip.

Strain asked the audience, "What's missing in downtown?" He continued by asking, "How do we bring housing downtown?" Initiatives to turn city spaces like the iconic East Fremont Street into a thriving community has been a continuing topic of discussion over the years. With the announcement of big businesses like Zappos opening a headquarters downtown, plans to recreate and re-establish a new city infrastructure show promise.

In his brief presentation, Strain mentioned the growing economic potential downtown Las Vegas has and that the hoped to draw people to live in the city. Part of his closing rem...

Nader Khalili's CalEarth research institute reopens its doors

2019-06-03T14:13:00-04:00

Founded in 1991 by Nader Khalili, the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture has researched and developed solutions, including the SuperAdobe, a structure made with patented, long plastic bags filled with dirt from the building site and held in place with barbed wire. Khalili’s ultimate aim was to empower refugees and the poor to build homes using minimal materials and without the need for highly skilled practitioners such as architects, engineers and contractors.

Marissa Gluck of the LA Times writes a thoughtful piece remembering the late Kahili and the influence he's made in the architecture community. Read more about Gluck's coverage of CalEarth and its revival here.

Correction 6/13/19: The original article unintentionally used similar language to the article published on the LA Times. We deeply regret this unfortunate and unusual mistake, so we have replaced it with a direct link to the Marissa Gluck’s article at the LA Times.

A look back at Arata Isozaki's idiosyncratic Joshua Tree pavilions

2019-03-11T17:01:00-04:00

The recent Pritzker Prize winner was never shy to show his bold and unapologetic design aesthetic, pulling from various architectural practices. Using large forms and volumes, Arata Isozaki works with his environment to create seamless spaces. During a trip to the desert to visit his long-time art critic friend Jerry Sohn, Isozaki was immersed into Southern California's desert landscape. After discussing ideas for a new project with Sohn, the trip's experience allowed for the architect to create three pavilions that use the California desert and the empty sky as his backdrop.

The three totems created by Arata Isozaki for long-term friend Jerry Sohn and his family. Located in Joshua Tree, CA. Image © Iwan Baan

The property is nestled in Southern California's Joshua Tree national park. A space entirely off the grid, the closest "urban setting" is a small town built by Gene Autry and Roy Roger called, Pioneertown. Isozaki used these elements to create three outdoor "bedrooms" that repr...

Water woes are creeping up on Phoenix, America's fifth-largest city

2018-03-22T16:01:00-04:00

Phoenix and its surrounding area is known as the Valley of the Sun, and downtown Phoenix – which in 2017 overtook Philadelphia as America’s fifth-largest city – is easily walkable, with restaurants, bars and an evening buzz. But it is a modern shrine to towering concrete, and gives way to endless sprawl that stretches up to 35 miles away to places like Anthem. The area is still growing – and is dangerously overstretched, experts warn.

With cities in the Desert West, like Las Vegas and Phoenix, rapidly growing in size and population, water is becoming an evermore hot commodity; all while the source of that water, primarily the Colorado River, is becoming increasingly unreliable due to climate change.

"And yet despite the federal Bureau of Reclamation reporting in 2012 that droughts of five or more years would happen every decade over the next 50 years," writes Joanna Walters for The Guardian's Overstretched Cities series, "greater Phoenix has not declared any water restrictions. Nor has the state government decided its official drought contingency proposal."

Land surrounding Michael Heizer’s "City" could lose national monument protection under Trump Administration

2017-07-31T14:55:00-04:00

As City—Michael Heizer’s vast Land Art installation in the Nevada desert—nears completion, the fate of the federally protected land surrounding it could soon be decided. Ryan Zinke, the US Interior Secretary, visited the state on Sunday, 30 July, as part of a review of 27 national monuments ordered by President Donald Trump, which could result in some of these lands being reopened to development.

"A number of museums banded together to call for the site’s preservation," The Art Newspaper explains the background of City's current surroundings (previously also on Archinect), "and in 2015, Obama created the Basin and Range National Monument, which covers 704,000 acres in southern Nevada’s Lincoln and Nye counties, including the land surrounding City and several Native American rock art sites. The next year, he created the Gold Butte National Monument, which covers 300,000 acres in Clark county."

Artist Rachel Whiteread creates two "ghost" cabins in the desert outside of Los Angeles

2017-07-25T12:15:00-04:00

Rachel Whiteread is known for her architecturally-relevant art practice, in particular her casts of the inside of buildings. One such sculpture, a cast of a Victorian townhouse, helped secure her the Turner Prize, making her the first woman to ever win the illustrious award.

The London-based artist has reprised this strategy for two installations in the California High Desert, which are featured in WSJ. Magazine. Located near Joshua Tree National Park, her concrete sculptures reveal the negative space of small cabins from the 1950s that had been left in the desert.

Photography by Iwan Baan for WSJ. Magazine

These aren’t the only sculptures to have recently touched down in the arid landscape outside of Los Angeles. A slew of artists, including Doug Aitken, gathered together a couple months ago to create Desert X, which was something of a festival of contemporary, site-specific works.

Doug Aitken among artists in Palm Springs-adjacent art show, "Desert X"

2017-02-23T19:53:00-05:00

Amid the dust and clamor is the steel skeleton of Aitken’s “Mirage,” which takes the form of a 1960s-style suburban California ranch house. The seven-room structure, to be fully mirrored on the outside and inside, is perched on a hillside with city and desert views, which are key to the piece. The structure has gaping holes where doors and windows might be, and its interior walls are built on angles to reflect the sky and contrasting surrounding terrain...

What does the desert in Riverside County have to offer aside from a massive annual music festival, the sleek modernism of Palm Springs, and the ethereal vista of untrammeled nature? Well, starting on February 25th, it has the Desert Exhibition of Art, or Desert X for short.

Exhibitors in the self-guided, wide-ranging exhibit (you should plan on driving) include Doug Aitken, Sherin Guirguis, and Claudia Comte, who has created a 110-foot long stucco/wood sculpture that is part wall, part meditative exercise. Maps are available at the Ace Hotel; the exhibition will be up until April.

Revisiting the urban plan of Burning Man

2016-08-30T14:41:00-04:00

When a group of Burners describing themselves as the Black Rock City Ministry of Urban Planning announced a design competition last fall for a new urban plan for Burning Man, Phil Walker had never given the matter much thought. “I’m actually not a Burner. I’ve never done it,” says Walker, the senior associate vice president for CallisonRTKL, an architecture firm and design consultancy. “Maybe a bit of vicarious living for a middle-aged suburban dad is what appealed to me.”

"So Walker didn’t set about to change the orientation of Black Rock City [...] instead, he built out a “kit of parts” for simple streetscape interventions that he says can have a dramatic impact on urban flow and cultural space."

Related Burning Man stories in the Archinect news:

Tesla's 5.8 million square foot "Gigafactory" to open in 2017

2016-07-27T13:38:00-04:00

Sixty-five hundred people and a sizable compliment of robots will work in the enormous, solar-panel topped, rail-adjacent Gigafactory when it opens in 2017, a structure which is described as a "joint venture" between Tesla, Panasonic and other supply partners. In this case, the drive to inexpensively produce lithium-ion batteries has created the need for the colossal structure.

As Wired notes:

The assembly lines will do everything from make the individual cells—cylinders a bit bigger than an AA battery—to assembling the immense packs that power a Model S or store energy in someone’s garage. Tesla doesn’t disclose its costs, but says doing it all in-house will drive down the cost of a battery by 30 percent.

Tesla in the news:

Renderings of the Dubai Steps revealed

2016-07-27T13:38:00-04:00

Five hundred steps, 25 stories, and 100 meters of height make up the Dubai Steps, as well as what appears to be a steely reflective outer casing with circular perforations. An aesthetic cross between the spinal column of a terminator and the euphoric ascendance of MVRDV's Rotterdam stair installation, the Dubai Steps appear to terminate in a large open-air platform from which climbers can take in the rapid development of the desert city that surrounds them.

Elaborately patterned lattices host vegetation and what appear to be shaded alcoves on each landing, which should hopefully mitigate what will undoubtedly be a physically exhausting climb in one of the world's hottest climates. It's prime real estate for bottled water vendors...

Dubai's latest design additions:

Looking to buy a small town? This Nevada desert gem could be yours for $8 Million

2016-04-27T13:58:00-04:00

An hour south from the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, a tiny town in Nevada is up for sale. Cal-Nev-Ari, Nev. (pronounced Cal-Nev-Air) is off a lonely stretch of Highway 95, surrounded by distant mountains and endless desert. The town isn't far from the California and Arizona borders [...]. If you can afford the $8 million asking price, you'll get the airstrip, the diner and the town's only casino. That includes a dozen old slot machines and a smokey bar. This place has character.

One CEO's plan to supply water to drought-stricken CA cities, and obviously profit from it

2016-01-20T15:14:00-05:00

Scott Slater has a plan. It is not a popular plan, but he wants to pump 814bn gallons of water from under the Mojave desert to Los Angeles and other drought-stricken communities in southern California, and make more than $2bn doing so...In addition to environmental concerns, others object to a private company being able to make billions from water. Slater says they do not understand the law, which in California states no entity can own water but they can buy, sell and trade the right to use it.

America: The land where nothing is free, indeed.

h/t New Republic

Egypt's challenges to build its new capital city

2015-11-09T17:38:00-05:00

Cairo is an unruly urban sprawl that has spun out of control. Now, officials want to build a new capital in the desert -- a potent symbol of President Sisi's regime. But will it ever happen? [...] The old Cairo is an ugly city, an affront to the senses. [...] a city of contradictions, created from the bottom up, even though that had never been the intention. It has been growing wildly since the 1960s -- from 3.5 million back then to 18 million now -- against the will of the country's rulers.

Previously in the Archinect News:

Learn about desert-living design in Design Marfa's 2015 Symposium and Home Tour, Sept. 18 + 19

2015-08-31T15:39:00-04:00

Design Marfa is ready to share fresh insight into desert-living design in their 2015 Symposium and Home Tour, happening on September 18 and 19 at the Crowley Theatre in the Texan town of Marfa.

Hosted by Design Marfa — the non-profit who created the Marfa Multi-Family Housing Competition — the two-day Symposium will feature relevant discussions led by an international array of architects and designers.

Events on Friday, September 18 include the earthen building-materials presentation, "Does This Structure Make Me Look Hot?" with Tucson architect Cade Hayes; DUST principal Brad Lancaster's session on harvesting rainwater; multidisciplinary designer Gina Coffman's presentation on how to increase walkability and bikesharing in our local communities; Los Angeles-based architect Linda Taalman on precision building systems in her "IT House" discussion, and more.

Then on September 19, Marfa Multi-Family Housing Competition winner Paul Vincent presents his proposal while juror Sharon Odum delv...

"Man of Steel" Donald Wexler, desert modern icon, dies at 89

2015-06-29T15:31:00-04:00

'His signature style helped bring Palm Springs to the international stage and his body of work is still as fresh today as when first created...'

Aptly nicknamed a "man of steel", Desert Modern-style architect Donald Wexler was known for his affordable sleek steel homes and was one of the principal figures who influenced Palm Springs' iconic modernist aesthetic that has increased in popularity in the last 15 years or so, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world. Described by close colleagues as a modest and insightful man, Wexler passed away at the age of 89 this past Friday, June 26 in his Palm Desert home. The Desert Sun reports that he died after dealing with an undisclosed brief illness.

Born on Jan. 23, 1926 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Wexler made his way to Southern California after graduating from the University of Minnesota. In California, Wexler worked as an apprentice for Richard Neutra for nine months before moving to Palm Springs when he landed a job in William Francis Cody's firm. In 1952, Wexler established Wexler & Harrison with Richard Harrison, a colleague he met at Cody's firm, but the two w...

Design Marfa sheds light on desert-living design in 2015 Symposium this September

2015-06-25T15:53:00-04:00

Design Marfa — the non-profit that hosted the Marfa Multi-Family Housing Competition this past fall — announced the details to their 2015 Symposium and Home Tour taking place September 18-19 at the Crowley Theater in the Texan desert town of Marfa. Although the topics focus on desert environments, they could still offer some handy tips for different locations and climates.

Friday, September 18 will include presentations from an international array of architects and designers such as, "Does This Structure Make Me Look Hot?" by Tucson architect Cade Hayes in regards to earthen building-materials like lava rock or adobe; DUST principal Brad Lancaster's session on harvesting rainwater; a presentation by multidsciplinary designer Gina Coffman on how to design community spaces that help increase walkability in our local neighborhoods, and more.

Then on September 19, Marfa Multi-Family Housing Competition winner Paul Vincent presents his design "7+7", while juror Sharon Odum delves into the ...

California's desert resorts struggle to abide by drought measures while maintaining a lush 'oasis' look

2015-06-11T14:39:00-04:00

For decades, tourists have been coming to Southern California's Coachella Valley, drawn by spectacular mountain vistas, great weather and lush landscapes. Those landscapes have been, for the most part, man-made — an artificial oasis in a land of desert. [...] As California enters a fourth year of drought and state and local water officials unveil a series of conservation dictates, at least some hotels in the valley — big and small — have begun launching water conservation measures.

Have an idea for how to address the drought with design? Submit your ideas to the Dry Futures competition!

In the midst of historic drought, Barclay's plans a residential development in New Mexico's desert

2015-05-21T13:02:00-04:00

[Barclay's] plan, to fabricate a “master-planned community” for nearly 100,000 people on what is today a field of sand dunes, is called Santolina. If fully populated, the development would be about the size of New Mexico’s current second-largest city, Las Cruces, and bigger than Santa Fe [...] Columbia University’s Earth Institute points to 2050 as a time when the drought will begin to worsen dramatically, right around when Santolina planners predict the development could approach full capacity

Have an idea for how to address the drought with design? Submit your ideas to the Dry Futures competition!

Richard Serra engages with the Qatari desert landscape in his new sculptural piece

2015-04-30T18:51:00-04:00

Richard Serra’s new sculpture, 'East-West/West-East,' is a set of four standing steel plates rolled in Germany, shipped via Antwerp, and offloaded, trucked, and craned into place in the middle of the western Qatari desert...the steel is the same that he’s used in his other pieces, and it will oxidize in the same way, albeit more quickly in the hot, salty conditions of the Brouq Nature Reserve. The plates will [ultimately] turn a dark amber—approximately the same color...as the Seagram Building.