HIGH DESERT HOUSE

Ayush Datta| Sreejith | B.Arch 4th Year |

High Desert House, Kendrick kellogg

The property is situated on the edge of Joshua

Tree National Park, built on a site strewn with
large boulders overlooking the Californian desert.
Every inch of the monumental home was crafted
from natural materials by hand; the construction
of the building took five years, and the interior,
crafted meticulously by famed artisanal designer
John Vurgin, took a further 14.

The skeleton of the home also known as the

“Doolittle House” is formed by 26 concrete
columns sunk seven feet into the bedrock. Its
interior continues the same artistic approach
with custom-made pieces and bronze accents.
Massive boulders are incorporated into the
design, propping up the fireplace and kitchen
counters. Stone floors and cement walls complete
the monolithic aesthetic while gaps in the facade
soften the palette with natural light.
Each column is embedded seven feet into the bedrock
of the site to ensure stability. The lower solid, concrete
portion brings to mind elements of Native American
adobe pueblos, while the sculptural form of the
upper section conjures images of dinosaur fossils or
spaceships. The columns fan out at the top, with one
overlapping the next to created a layered, canopy-
like roof.
The columns are connected with wide, sandblasted
glass panels that create a ceiling, which spreads light
throughout the interiors during the day, and frames
views of the stars at night.
 Design
The idea was that the house would be settled in the landscape”, explained Kellogg in an interview withT
Magazine. “Like it was crouching on the rocks, maybe like an animal asleep.” From a distance, the organic
form could be likened to the skeleton of a desert Leviathan—its bones curving into view from amongst a
large collection of boulders.

The house is consisted of columns with gently curved canopy roofs on top, sitting on a platform.
The spaces between these canopies is glass that bring in the sunlight into the house. The house is
earthquake proof and the colunms wiht roof area part of passive solar heating and cooling system.
During the day the concrete columns absorb the solar heat and keep the house cold inside while at
night the heat radiates into the house and keeps the hosue warm. The colour, texture and form of the
house are consistant to it’s surroundings.