architect

Low-cost Desert Living /  by James Whitaker

Model of Casa Milagro by Whitaker Studio, a low-cost house for the Californian desert. To keep costs low the internal space is as compact as possible, but supplemented by covered outdoor space at each end of the house. The long south side of the house has large eaves to shade the house reducing its need for mechanical cooling.

12 months ago a lady got in touch saying that she would like to retire to the desert, to a plot of land that she bought with her late husband. The only catch is that her budget is very tight.

To begin with I dismissed it, thinking the task impossible, the budget too low, but the emails kept coming.

Now I’ve got the bit between my teeth. I want to see if there is anyway we can make something work. And not just anything, but something that is low-cost, low-energy, low-carbon and accessible, all packaged up inside a considered piece of architecture that enhances day to day life.

The task might yet prove impossible, but I think there might just be a way to achieving something here. And if we can, somehow, make it work then we will create a design that can be reproduced for other desert dwellers in need of a low-cost home.

If you know anyone who might be interested in this project do spread the word.

Model of Casa Milagro by Whitaker Studio, a low-cost house for the Californian desert. This image shows the covered terrace at the west end of the house

Model of Casa Milagro by Whitaker Studio, a low-cost house for the Californian desert.

The Anywhere House on Business Insider /  by James Whitaker

This home made out of tiny units can be built in any configuration and proves prefab architecture doesn't have to be boring

It's terrific to have an article in Business Insider about The Anywhere House. There have been a couple of articles about the Anywhere House in major publications in the last few weeks and we are now in conversation with people from Israel, Egypt, Sweden, Italy, USA, Panama… the list goes on and on. A giant thank you to Mary Meisenzahl for shining a light on a project that I am very proud of, it’s really appreciated.

Business Insider reports on the Starburst House /  by James Whitaker

Whitaker Studio's Starburst House in Joshua Tree

Business Insider have featured our Starburst House this week. If you visit our instagram feed you’ll see a special little animation that we made for the article that shows the house in a new way!

We're Hiring /  by James Whitaker

Whitaker Studio is Hiring

Whitaker Studio is on the hunt for an excellent new team member to start immediately.

We have a bunch of projects scattered around the world, and as the number of projects grows our team needs to grow. We need people to help us turn these projects into reality. Sometimes we’ll need you to come up with great, bold ideas, and sometimes we’ll need you to be able to critique ideas and say it as you see it in a clear and articulate way. Other times we will need you to just knuckle down and get the work done; no questions. Sadly, great work isn’t easily done, and we have no appetite for the average. We work really hard every day to create the best possible designs we can. We want our work to be site-specific and original. We want to create work that people haven’t seen before. If you’re happy drawing up the status quo read no further.

But working hard doesn’t mean that we’re keen to work late every night. Sometimes we need to burn the midnight oil but rarely is great work done when tired and worn out. We’ve got friends and family too. If you need to arrange your day around childcare we can make that work. Or if you’d really like to start late on a Wednesday so you can go to yoga that can work too. We will measure you on the work you produce, not the hours you sit at your desk. But this means we need someone with good time management skills. If you always handed your work in late at uni we probably aren’t the right place for you.

So down to the specifics. We are looking for a RIBA Part 2 or Part 3 to join our team.

Applicants must:

  • be good at managing their own time

  • be eligible to work in the UK

  • be fluent in English, both spoken and written

  • have strong Adobe Illustrator skills

  • be quick and proficient in AutoCAD

  • have good 3D modelling skills. 3DS Max proficiency is desirable but a good level in Rhino would also be considered

The role is short term with the possibility of being extended. It will start immediately.

Send CVs and concise portfolios to jobs@whitakerstudio.co.uk