Mesh canopy shades California desert retreat by Kovac Design Studio

Guest suites cluster around an expansive living area at this California mansion, which Kovac Design Studio designed to emulate a boutique hotel.

The Madison Desert Club residence is named after the exclusive golf club where the 9,220-square-foot (856-square-metre) home is located in La Quinta, California, near Palm Springs.

Kovac Design Studio built the project on a golf course

"Inspired by the concept of a boutique hotel, the project sought to take maximum advantage of the dramatic desert views and, through its interior design, pay homage to the Golden Hollywood era of nearby Palm Springs," said Kovac Design Studio, an architecture firm based in Los Angeles.

The home's boxy massing is arranged around a central, double-height volume that contains the kitchen, dining area, and plenty of lounge space.

The Madison Desert Club is designed to resemble a boutique hotel

Overlooking the living room is a mezzanine and catwalk that can be used as a DJ platform, according to the architects.

The entrance to the home brings visitors past a reflecting pool, under a mesh-like canopy that shades the front door. "Upon arrival, one circles into the motor court and is greeted by a still dark water element that seems to rise from the ground, water shimmering down its sides," said the architects.

Light fills the home through large openings

This canopy spans the entire home, shading areas between the main central volume and five additional wings scattered around it.

"The overhang, ideal for providing shade on hot desert days, connects the main living space to six surrounding casitas, ideal for guests, and casts a pattern of delicate shadows that changes with the day’s spectrum of light," said Kovac Design Studio.

A glass wall with motorised panels looks onto the golf course

At the back of the large entertaining area, a glass wall with motorised panels can slide open, revealing vistas of the surrounding golf course and mountains beyond.

Of the five ancillary volumes, four contain guest suites – two with a single bedroom, and another two with a pair of rooms each – while the fifth is used as the home's garage.

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Kovac Design Studio included plenty of amenities in the guest rooms. Each has its own ensuite bathroom, private terrace and fire pit, and other features that enable those staying to be self-sufficient.

"Each [suite] also includes its own bath with indoor/outdoor shower, mini-fridge, and bar so guests can enjoy a drink without going to the main house whenever a private escape is wanted," said the architects.

The interiors feature rough plaster walls and concrete floors

The guest blocks are connected to each other and to the main home via open-air corridors, which provides plenty of opportunities for informal seating areas throughout the residence.

The home's interiors have a refined palette of wooden ceilings, rough plaster walls, and polished concrete floors.

The entrance to the home brings visitors past a reflecting pool

Other amenities made available to the residents include a bunkroom that can accommodate several children, as well as a home spa and gym with its own courtyard – all in the basement.

Other homes built in and around the Coachella Valley, where Palm Springs is located, include a minimalist residence surrounded by boulders and pine trees by Aidlin Darling Design, and a partially prefabricated home by Turkel Design that is meant to match the area's prevailing mid-century-modern aesthetic.

The photography is byRoger Davies.

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Project credits:

Lighting designer: Lux Populi

General contractor: RJC

Stylist: Anita Sarsidi

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Disney plans resort-like residential community with a "special brand of magic"

Entertainment and media giant Disney has announced plans to start building mixed-use residential communities in the USA.

The Walt Disney Company revealed plans for its first Storyliving residential development in California's Coachella Valley, where the brand's late founder Walt Disney owned a home.

Cotino will feature a thriving town centre

Named Cotino, the residential complex will include 1,900 housing units, which will be designed in a resort-like, small-town style that will take cues from Disney's famed theme parks.

According to the company, Cotino's homes will vary from standalone family homes to estates and condominiums and will be arranged around a 24-acre central lake described as a "grand oasis".

The residential complex will be arranged around a "grand oasis"

As well as providing expansive residential areas, Cotino will have a town centre with a range of shopping, dining and other entertainment experiences.

All the facilities will be staffed by Disney cast members – the theatrical term for Disney theme park employees that was originally coined by Walt Disney.

A members' clubhouse will feature in the community

Experiences at Cotino will include programmes centred on wellness, cookery, educational seminars and various live performances.

A professionally-managed beach park attached to the lake will provide recreational water activities to the public through the purchase of a day pass, while there is also plans to build a beachfront hotel.

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The project will be developed by Arizona-based DMB Development in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative arm of The Walt Disney Company that is responsible for the construction of its theme parks worldwide.

Disney described Storyliving as "vibrant new neighbourhoods that [will be] infused with the company's special brand of magic."

Cotino's clubhouse will be positioned on the water

Cotino is named after continus coggygria, the name for the European smoke tree plant that references Smoke Tree Ranch, where Walt Disney had a house in nearby Palm Springs.

While most of the development will be open to homeowners of all ages, it will feature a section reserved specifically for residents over the age of 55.

Disney is also develeoping a number of other Storyliving developments in other parts of the US. Spanning entertainment, theme parks and other consumer products, The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Burbank, California.

Architecture studio SOM recently designed the company's New York City base. Interior designer Kelly Hoppen previously reimagined Disney's iconic Mickey Mouse character in black, taupe and gold for a "grown-up" audience.

The renderings and video are courtesy of Disney.

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Jubilee Pool in Penzance reinvented as UK's first heated seawater lido

An art deco swimming pool in Cornwall has been given a new lease of life thanks to the addition of geothermal heating and community facilities designed by Scott Whitby Studio.

The Jubilee Pool in Penzance is the largest of only five seawater lidos remaining in the UK and the first to be upgraded with a geothermal borehole, which provides a natural and low-energy method of heating the water.

The Jubilee Pool is the largest of five seawater pools in the UK

Scott Whitby Studio aimed to capitalise on this new addition, to create community facilities that support but don't overshadow the building's 1930s architecture.

The cafe and bar was extended, while a second building provides a community hall that can be used for a range of activities, from art exhibitions to fitness classes.

Geothermal heating has been installed in the corner pool

Glazed doors make up the facades of these buildings, allowing them to open up to a new poolside promenade.

"With a building this striking and this loved, our job was to sit back," said architect Alex Scott Whitby.

"We didn't want to get in the way of this incredible art deco celebration of swimming, so we created a series of modest, relatively low-cost additions that let the pool stay in the foreground," he told Dezeen.

Scott Whitby Studios has upgraded the pool's facilities

The project was initiated in 2014 by Friends of the Jubilee Pool, a charity formed by a group of local people concerned that their much-loved pool was falling into disrepair.

The charity bought the pool and was able to raise £1.8 million towards its refurbishment, thanks to support from Cornwall council, Penzance town council, EU funding, plus a community share of £540,000.

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"The people of Penzance invested their own money and savings into the pool, even though this is one of the most deprived boroughs in the UK," said Scott Whitby.

"It shows how important this space is to so many people, far and wide."

The pool is now community-owned and run by a charity

The first step in the process, completed in 2019, was the excavation of the 410-metre-deep well, a project overseen by engineering firm Arup and specialist Geothermal Engineering.

The geothermal system extracts warm water from the well and, using a heat exchanger, uses it to warm the pool water up to temperature of between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius.

As a result, the pool can now be open year-round rather than just in the summer months.

The new buildings have a roof profile that matches the original entrance sign

The task for Scott Whitby Studio was to rejuvenate the architecture, damaged by years of coastal weather, and create facilities that could equally serve the community year-round.

Both the cafe and the community hall were designed to be as flexible as possible, so they can be used in different ways, in all weathers.

The curves integrate north-facing rooflights

A rippled roof profile mirrors the Jubilee Pool's historic gate signage, and also resonates with the scalloped wall of the churchyard across the street.

This form allows the building to neatly integrate north-facing rooflights, but without making the building too visible from the street. The arches seem to be peeping up over the entrance wall.

The buildings create more space for a bar and restaurant

Although simple in form, these structures integrate highly durable materials and finishes.

The fibreglass cladding is the same as used in boatbuilding, while the roof is a polyurethane rubber that's typically used for the flooring of oil tankers. The timber structure is salt-resistant, made from Douglas fir.

A new community space can be used for events, community meetings and exhibitions

"This building sits under the sea wall, which is a pretty unique situation," said Scott Whitby.

"We had to design a building that could cope with wind, waves, sea and a very high salt water environment, which drove a number of design decisions."

The pool was built in 1935, to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V

Scott Whitby is based in London, where he runs his studio and also leads the Architecture and Physical Design department at the University of East London.

His past projects include a pop-up cinema and a bedroom for a throuple, although this project has a more personal significance. His wife's mother grew up in the area and swam in the pool in the 1950s.

"It's been a hugely humbling process to be part of that journey with the people of Penzance," he said.

"The best comment I had was by someone who is very local, who said, it's very Penzance; it feels like it's of its place, not trying to be something else."

Durable materials and finishes helps to protect the old and new architecture

The pool was built in 1935 to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V. British tourism was thriving at the time, before commercial air travel led to people holidaying abroad.

Susan Stuart, who was pivotal to the fundraising campaign, believes the rejuvenated pool can be a catalyst for change in a town whose economic prospects have traditionally centred around the summer season.

"It's wonderful to see this unique place brought back to light, not just as an affordable community amenity but a rare thing, a community driven regeneration asset," she said.

"Year round opening and the resurgence of interest in cold water swimming is supporting 'off-season' growth to reduce seasonality in the local economy and bolster employment prospects for local people."

Photography and film are byJim Stephenson. Aerial photos are by EyeOnHigh.

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Project credits:

Architect: Scott Whitby Studio

Project team: Alex Scott-Whitby, Osman Marfo-Gyasi, Mary Tyulkanova, Neil Broadbent, Cherng-Min Teong, Jaahid Ahmad, Ada Keco, Kirk Slankard

QS (RIBA Stage 2): PT Projects

Structural engineer: WebbYates Engineers

Conservation/heritage: Scott Whitby Studio

Services engineer: WebbYates Engineers

Project manager/QS: Fox Cornwall

Main contractor: Catling Construction

Joinery: A1 Construction Penzance

Polyurea roofing: ESW

Fibreglass cladding: Stuart Pease (Fibreglass Ltd)

Geothermal engineering: GEON (GEL Geothermal Engineering Limited/Arup)

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Stella van Beers converts grain silo into micro home

Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Stella van Beers has created a watchtower-style house inside a grain silo.

In a project called Silo Living, Van Beers transformed the disused agricultural structure into a two-level living space, which she believes could function as a short-term home.

The project converts a seven-metre-high grain silo

While silos are not ideally proportioned for living, they offer some unique benefits. They can often be installed in rural locations without planning permission.

They are also readily available in the Netherlands as a country-wide reduction in livestock has resulted in lower demand for grain, leaving many of these structures redundant.

The designer had to add doors, windows and floors

Van Beers hopes to inspire new uses for these disused silos, which are otherwise costly to dispose of and impossible to recycle.

"You always see them in rural areas," she told Dezeen. "I always really wanted to go inside one, so thought it could be a nice place for a temporary stay."

Van Beers created two storeys inside the silo

To test her concept, the designer found a seven-metre-high silo for sale online. "I thought, if I want to do something with a silo then I have to just buy one and see what's possible," she said.

After explaining her plans to the owner, he let her take it away for free.

A spiral staircase and deck provides access

Originally there was no way for a person to enter the silo, so Van Beers started by changing that.

She installed a set of double doors, then added a spiral staircase and access deck.

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To make the most of the space inside, she installed two floors, connected by a mini staircase and ladder.

The lower level is a living space, with a ledge that functions as a space to eat or work.

A mini staircase and ladder connects the levels inside

The mezzanine above is a sleep space, so is entirely taken up by a mattress.

Both storeys now have projecting windows and there's also a skylight that functions as a lookout point.

Windows were added to both floors

"A cylindrical house is not something you see very often, so it was a bit of a challenge," said Van Beers.

Most of the adaptations use standard components, so could be easily replicated on a variety of silos. The designer hopes to inspire silo owners to get creative.

The windows project out, creating some additional space

"There are a lot of things I would change if I made another," she said, "but I'm really happy with this as a first prototype. A few people have slept in it already."

"If you have a bigger silo, you could use it as a living space for a longe amount of time," she suggested.

A porthole in the top creates a lookout point.

Van Beers created the project for her bachelors degree at Design Academy Eindhoven. She presented it at the graduation show, which took place during Dutch Design Week in October.

Other projects on show included glass blown inside bread and "trauma-healing" garments.

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House built from 100 different plant-based materials unveiled at Dutch Design Week

Eco-design studio Biobased Creations has built a showhome almost entirely from biomaterials including wood, mycelium, seaweed, straw and vegetable fibres as well as earth and sewage.

Unveiled at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven this week, the house showcases 100 different plant-based or natural materials that are either commercially available already or coming to market soon.

The house is built from 100 different natural materials

The only non-bio materials in the timber-framed house are metal screw fixings and glass windows.

"We used 100 bio-based materials because we wanted to show what is possible," explained Biobased Creations co-founder Lucas De Man. "It's an exhibition in the shape of a house."

It showcases 100 different biomaterials, including earth, plants and fungi

The project is called The Exploded View Beyond Building, although Dutch Design Week calls it The Embassy of Circular and Biobased Building.

The designers' aim is to show how eco-materials can be used in the construction of ordinary homes. All the materials used are listed on the projects' website.

Materials include lime plaster coloured with algae and an algae textile screen

The house, which features a modular design, was mostly built in a factory. It has a layout based on a standard grid so it could become a template for a variety of different house designs.

"If we want to build a million houses here in Holland in the next 10 years, then the design has to be scalable," said De Man. "So it has to come from the factory and it has to be sustainable."

The bathroom exterior tiles are 3D printed from sewage sludge and algae

"Some people think it's too expensive to be modular and sustainable, but it's actually cheaper," he told Dezeen. "Non-sustainable modular is way more expensive."

The building, which has been erected at Eindhoven's Strijp-S district for the duration of Dutch Design Week, is also designed to be circular.

The structural timber frame is demountable so the house could be relocated or recycled in the future.

The toilet is framed by a 3D printed wall of filtered sewage residue

Biomaterials provide surfaces both inside and outside the house.

They cover walls, floors and ceilings, and are also used for furnishings including tableware and bedding.

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These materials are presented in different categories relating to their material properties.

The bathroom features materials made from waste, with examples including blue wall tiles made from sewage and algae, and a compost toilet framed by a wall of 3D-printed sewage sludge.

Tableware is made from food products including eggs and oyster shells

The kitchen showcases materials made from food and plants and includes tableware made from plants and food waste including plates made from eggshells and beakers from 3D-printed seaweed.

The ceiling is a material made from flowers, the walls are lined with grass and the door is clad in Totomoxtle, a wood veneer that promotes biodiversity because it is made from heirloom corn species.

Linen coloured with waste from the metal industry is hung on the wall in the kitchen

Upstairs, elements on display include insulation made from reeds, seaweed wall tiles, acoustic wall panelling made from bioplastic and a bed made from natural rubber and linen.

There's also a whole room dedicated to products derived from bacteria and fungus. Mycelium is used to create wall tiles, insulation and a composite flooring.

A wall of mycelium tiles is fire-retardant and water-resistant

This material is one that both De Man and Pascal Leboucq, lead designer for Biobased Creations, were already familiar with. The pair previously worked on The Growing Pavilion, a mycelium structure presented at Dutch Design Week in 2019.

"We're going to solve a lot of problems by reinventing bacteria," said De Man. "In Holland, they are now making bacteria that can eat plastic and give back oxygen."

The bed combines a natural rubber mattress with linen fabric

An air filtration system integrates plants and nutshells while rainwater is harvested and reused. The house also features six different roof types, including two types of green roof and paving that absorbs rainwater.

De Man hopes the project will show that biomaterials are a viable option for new housing developments.

"When we built The Growing Pavilion two years ago, a lot of people said it was too futuristic. This time we've created a house that is realistic and scaleable."

Straw cladding is used on the outside of the house

The house is on show for the duration of Dutch Design Week. After that it will be demounted and reassembled at the Floriade Expo, a horticultural exhibition taking place in 2022.

Dutch Design Week runs from 16 to 24 October 2021 at venues across Eindhoven. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Photography is by Oscar Vinck and Jeroenvander Wielen.

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Counterspace's Children's Courtroom installation "teaches children about the justice system"

In the third of our series of exclusive video interviews with Sumayya Vally, the architect discusses how her studio Counterspace's Children's Courtroom project aimed to teach kids about the law, rights and equality.

The installation comprises a set of kids-sized furniture elements imitating furniture found in standard courtrooms.

It is used as an educational tool for children to learn about concepts related to the law, court procedures as well as their own rights and equality.

Children's Courtroom by Counterspace is a mobile installation and educational tool for children to learn about the justice system

"The project is designed as a stage set for teaching children about how the justice system works and preparing child witnesses for court," Vally explained in the video.

Made from wood and blue metal elements, the installation includes a witness stand, a defendant's stand, a judges table, seating for the accused, seating for the public and a courtroom entry arch.

It was created for the children's museum Play Africa at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg, the biggest constitutional court in South Africa. However, it can easily be packed up so that it can be transported to other locations.

The project comprises children's furniture that imitates what you would find in a courtroom

"This piece had to be designed to be able to function at Constitutional Court, but also to be packed up onto a van and then unrolled on a parking lot in a very rural area or in a street in inner-city Johannesburg," the architect said.

"It's really important that the pieces are able to come together to function as a court for children but also that they can function in separate parts for different functions."

Counterspace has worked with Play Africa on a number of projects including an interactive exhibition on indigenous Ndebele art which teaches children about the mathematical concepts around geometry, pattern, depth perception and scale.

Vally is the architect behind this year's Serpentine Pavillion. She founded her Johannesburg-based architecture studio Counterspace at the age of 23 and is the youngest architect to receive the prestigious commission.

The installation was created for children's museum Play Africa at Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg, the highest court of justice in South Africa

Dezeen is publishing a series of exclusive video interviews with the architect. In the previous instalment, Vally discussed the studio's project Folded Skies, a mirrored installation exploring the complex geographies of Johannesburg.

Below is a transcript of the interview:

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"Children's Courtroom is an installation that was made at Constitutional Hill, which holds the highest court of the land in South Africa and is also home to Play Africa, which is an organization that works with children from across Johannesburg.

"The project was done for Play Africa, and we often work with them on very quick, very inexpensive prototype projects.

"The project is designed as a stage set for teaching children about how the justice system works and preparing child witnesses for court.

"So this piece had to be designed to be able to function at Constitutional Court, but also to be packed up onto a van and then unrolled on a parking lot in a very rural area or in a street in inner-city Johannesburg.

"And it's really important that the pieces are able to come together to function as a court for children but also that they can function in separate parts for different functions."

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Ten-storey stainless-steel apartment block built in 28 hours

Chinese company Broad Group has erected a modular 10-storey apartment block, named the Living Building, in just over a day in Changsha, China.

A timelapse released by Broad Group shows the 10-storey building being erected in China by a large team of workers and three cranes in 28 hours and 45 minutes.

According to the company, this is the "world's shortest construction period" for a building of this scale.

Tower built from stainless steel modules

The apartment block was assembled from standard container-sized modular units that were made in a factory by Broad Group and have a stainless steel structure.

Each module is 12.19 metres (40 feet) long, 2.44 metres (eight feet) wide and three metres (10 feet) high.

The container shaped modules stacked with one wall of each unit folding down to become a floor plate and create a column-free space that is 12 metres by 4.8-metres. Windows and balconies fold out from the unit to enclose the spaces.

"10 storeys can be erected in one day"

The modules are transported to the site with all the electric and internal finishes complete meaning that installation can happen rapidly.

"Extremely simple onsite installation: Just tighten bolts and connect [the] water and electricity, as fast as 10 storeys can be erected in one day," said the company.

The video shows the fully completed apartment block simply furnished with white walls and timber window frames and flooring.

Each of the modular units was made with walls and floors built from a stainless steel slab that is formed of two stainless steel plates separated by hundreds of stainless steel tubes.

According to the company, these B-core slabs are 10 times lighter and 100-times stronger than "conventional" floor plates.

Company claims system could be used for 200-storey skyscrapers

According to the company, the construction method could also be used to build public buildings or even skyscrapers.

"It is perfectly suitable for luxury residences, 200-storey skyscrapers, and also idea for public and residential buildings," said Broad Group.

Broad Group is a Chinese manufacturer of air conditioning units that has expanded into modular construction. In 2012 Broad Group unveiled plans to build a 220-storey skyscraper, which would be the tallest building in the world, from modular components in seven months.

However, the construction of the building stalled shortly after it began amid safety fears and a lack of government approval. It was later reported that the building's foundations had been repurposed as a fish farm.

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