When American entrepreneur Malcolm McLean pioneered shipping containers in 1956 for his trucking company, it was meant to serve one purpose: carrying cargo for transport. The invention revolutionized international trade and expedited the once tedious process of unloading goods on shipping vessels. The humble shipping container has entered the housing industry as a simple, low-cost option and has recently made its way into luxury designs!
The perfect example is the Joshua Tree Residence: a futuristic-looking 2,100-square foot property soon-to-be-built in the desert just outside California’s Joshua Tree National Park. With its high temperatures, wildlife, and inconvenient distance from most establishments, anyone would think twice about building a home in this dry stretch of land. But that isn’t the case for this film producer.
The unnamed mogul owns a 90-acre site in the Joshua Tree desert. One day, he took his friends out to the area, and one of them said, “Do you know what would look amazing here?” She opened up Pinterest on her laptop and showed the producer a picture of Hechingen Studio, an office building made of shipping containers. It was designed by London architect and digital artist James Whitaker for a German advertising agency in 2010, but it was never built.
The producer loved its curious design and reached out to Whitaker, who was thrilled for the opportunity to bring his exceptional creation to life. “The picture was of an office that I’d designed several years ago but had never been built. And so it came to pass that next time the client was in London he got in touch and asked to meet up,” Whitaker said. Since their meeting, Whitaker has created a highly realistic rendering of the structure.
The intriguing design of the all-white structure makes it appear to have sprouted from the ground, with several containers jutting out at different angles from the structure’s center. Its interior design features a minimalist modern aesthetic that is both sleek and clean. With its tall and expansive windows, this home provides the ideal natural lighting for early risers who enjoy waking up with the sun on their pillow.
The beautiful desert view outside will make anyone feel at ease. The angles of the containers would make ideal viewing portholes for admiring the stars at night. “There’s been a lot of care taken in aligning the internal halls of the containers,” Whitaker told CNN. “When you go into the house at the start of the weekend and nobody else is there yet, you can have all the bedroom doors open and enjoy standing in the middle and looking out into the desert.”
Although the shipping containers appear to be small, Whitaker’s design opens up into a large living room. The Joshua Tree Residence has three en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Whitaker also intends to install solar panels on the roof of the garage to power the entire house and make it more energy efficient. After all, the California sun will most likely cause the home’s air conditioner to work overtime. View the gallery below.