All imaged credited to: Whitaker Studio
Normally, a house like the one we’re looking at today would get a feature in our home spotlight series. But to make it into that column, a house needs to actually exist. And outside of a concept, that’s not the case with the Starburst House. Perhaps you’ve seen it featured on CNN, Business Insider, Homes and Gardens, or the countless other publications where it appeared. If not, you’ve certainly caught glimpses while scrolling through your social media poison of choice. Either way, the Starburst House is the most famous modern house to never break ground. But that could change any day now.
A Rising Star
James Whitaker is the founder behind Whitaker Studio, a London-based firm that more or less designs odd, unconventional, and beautifully weird buildings. But even he was taken aback when commissioned to create an office building in Germany using shipping containers as his building blocks. Still, it didn’t take him long to wrap his head around the idea. Once he changed the way he looked at shipping containers, he drafted a concept that ensured the rest of the world would do the same. While the German office was not to be, it had planted the seed of the Starburst House.
In 2017, film producer Chris Hanley (who just so happens to own the Invisible House covered in our Home Spotlight series) reached out to Whitaker with a blank canvas. He wanted to punctuate more of his Joshua Tree land with something interesting. When Whitaker visited the site with some friends of Hanley’s, one off-handedly suggested taking the aborted idea of the German office building and dropping it into the seemingly limitless desert vistas. Whitaker ran it by Hanley, and the Starburst House began inching closer to reality.
Riding the high of creative inspiration, Whitaker wasted no time working with his team to whip up photorealistic images based on his schematics. It’s these images that have made the rounds on news sites, social media, and everything in between. By 2020, the three-bedroom Starburst House was already on the market with a modest (for California) price tag of $3.5 million. Yet, it was still simply a concept.
A Home Gallery of the Desert’s Beauty
Easily the most identifiable feature of the Starburst House is its unique explosive crystalline shape, achieved by fusing a series of shipping containers together in evenly distributed outward directions. Encompassing approximately 2,000 sqft, the Starburst House’s containers would each serve individual purposes such as bedroom, kitchen, and dining area. The positioning of the containers is such as to control the home’s natural lighting.
Working closely with architect Martin Brunner and structural engineer Bruce Danziger, Whitaker designed the home with the panoramic splendor of the desert in mind. By standing at the home’s axis with doors open, you can look in any direction to see a unique window forming a conscientious frame at the end of a container corridor, celebrating the desert’s profound beauty. With the upward-facing container serving as a skylight, it’s like standing outside without actually standing outside.
Design Features of the Starburst House
Bringing a project as unique as the Starburst House to life requires a team effort. In addition to Brunner, Danziger, and the staff at Whitaker Studio, Whitaker is collaborating with Beverly Hills company PanoramAH! on the specialty windows and external doors needed for the structure. Prioritizing eco-consciousness, he’s also outfitted the carport with solar photovoltaic panels to protect automobiles from the desert heat while powering the home. And for anyone worried about residing in a shipping container in brutal desert temperatures, Whitaker has of course taken the climate into consideration. The Starburst House is insulated and ventilated in a manner fit for desert living.
Yet, for as outlandish as it is in concept, the Starburst House adheres to an almost spartan minimalism. Containers are painted a blank white. Interiors favor muted colors. The flooring, the lighting, and the staged furnishings all lend to a tasteful minimalism that shows a surprising amount of restraint for a home shaped like a supernova.
Out of This World… and, For Now, This Reality
So when will the Starburst House make the great leap from concept to tangible sanctuary? Whitaker has stated groundbreaking will happen this year, but we all know how fast new construction moves in California. Perhaps the the home’s shipping container composition will add some grease to the wheels. In any case, we look forward to the evening when Joshua Tree gains another star, even if it’s one a bit closer to the Earth.
