Desert X is a site-specific international art exhibition taking place this year across the Coachella Valley, California. Its fifth edition, curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and co-curator Kaitlin Garcia Maestas, opened on March 10, 2025, featuring eleven installations by international artists integrated into the desert landscape. Artists were invited to propose alternative ways of perceiving a world "increasingly encircled by the transformational effects of nature and humanity," through physical installations in specific locations within the California desert. In this context, architecture is understood as the most visible evidence of human transformation, while immaterial elements, such as wind and light, highlight the transformative effects not only of human activity but also of nature itself. The exhibition is free and open to all, running through May 11, 2025. Below are images and descriptions of the eleven art installations featured in this year's Desert X exhibition.
In his latest photographic journey, Paul Clemence explores the architecture of the Aluminaire House in Palm Springs. The Aluminaire House Foundation has bestowed the house exhibit upon the Palm Springs Art Museum, joining its permanent collection. This architectural landmark, designed by Albert Frey and Lawrence Kocher is currently undergoing reconstruction in the south parking lot of the Museum. Hailed as an icon of modernist design, recently recognized by the Architectural Record as one of the most significant buildings completed worldwide in the past 125 years.
Few places have embraced sustainable design practices like California. Experiencing dramatic droughts, wildfires and environmental issues, the state has started to create new policies and initiatives to promote environmentally-conscious design solutions. From eco-districts and water management strategies to net-zero building projects, the Golden State is making strides to reshape its future. Forming long-term visions and procedures through the lens of physical resource consumption, California is working to better integrate its economic development plans with sustainable building methods.
Design lab Space Saloon recently wrapped up its second experimental design-build festival in Southern California. Dubbed FIELDWORKS, the festival aimed to rethink design-build and hands-on education. Following the success of the first workshop, LANDING, the group returned to Southern California to develop site-specific projects and workshops.
The grays of concrete and pollution are not the only representation of cities and towns in the Americas. As perfect postcard material, many cities in the new world express the vibrancy of the people and places through color. HAUS, ArchDaily's partner, has selected five of these cities, which show us how color can bring light to the day-to-day life of cities.
Headed for Palm Springs, California, BOOM Community is a new master-planned community costing $250 million and will provide an exciting new design for the desert that surrounds it. Collaborating to create this pedestrian friendly, neighborhood development are ten architecture firms, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro of New York. Envisioned for the gay community BOOM aims to provide an urban lifestyle promoting healthy living. Included within the masterplan: a boutique hotel, gym and spa, BOOM health and wellness center, and entertainment complex.
Sander Architects have designed a residence for the historic Movie Colony of Palm Springs that can combat the site’s harsh environment. Facing the San Jacinto mountains, the house features a simple roof that opens to the home toward the surroundings. With temperatures in Palm Springs reaching over a stifling 120 degrees, the western exposure of the home ”has created an enormously difficult problem with solar exposure”. Sander’s design of a fifteen-foot horizontal cantilever reduces (to practically zero) the time when the setting summer sun’s rays will penetrate the interiors; however, the cantilever is angled in such a way to allow winter sun to ”more readily enter the house to warm it when the weather turns colder.”
