Cutting-edge architectural design pushes boundaries, whether in terms of the aesthetic or the functionality of a building. Across the U.S., innovative and imaginative architects and homeowners have created unique properties that are as original and revolutionary as they are stylish and serviceable. Take a look at seven of the most futuristic houses in the U.S. and explore what makes them so compelling.
High Desert House – Joshua Tree, California
The High Desert House is also known as the Kellogg Doolittle House, after the architect who designed it, Ken Kellogg, and the clients who commissioned it, artists Bev and Jay Doolittle. The architect intended that its organic shape would complement the unique landscape of Joshua Tree and do justice to a plot of land that was anything but run-of-the-mill. Commissioned in 1984, the house took roughly 20 years to finish.
Bearing a passing resemblance to a UFO, or perhaps an insect’s wings, this elegant home blends almost seamlessly with its surroundings, yet its structure wows those who have the privilege of seeing it in real life. The roof is its most breathtaking feature: a series of separate fanned columns that overlap and overhang to form a distinctive canopy. Though it is more than three decades old, this futuristic house has stood the test of time and could just as plausibly have been designed yesterday — or perhaps tomorrow.
tresARCA House – Las Vegas, Nevada
Though it’s a far cry from the bright lights of the nearby Las Vegas Strip, the sleek design of tresARCA is every bit as dazzling. When Assemblage Studio embarked on the project in 2011, the firm’s goal was to root it in the colors and textures of the surrounding Mojave Desert.
Materials used in its construction, such as river rock, marble, and granite, reference the building’s surroundings. Its stacked form has been carefully thought out to ensure indoor-outdoor living is not only possible but comfortable in this extreme environment. The signature net screening that envelops the upper story is functional in its ability to minimize the effects of the strong Nevada sun, and also throws captivating shadows that turn the property’s walls into a blank canvas.
House Zero – Austin, Texas
Austin-based architects Lake Flato teamed up with construction technology specialist ICON to create House Zero, completed in 2022. Integral to the process was the use of 3D printing, which reimagines house building and takes it to a new, more sustainable level. Curved walls not only create structural stability but also improve flow, while the positioning of the windows was intended to capitalize on natural sunlight.
Pioneering techniques such as robotic construction methods and extensive use of ICON’s cement-like CarbonX product mean that the home has a relatively low carbon footprint. And thanks to the high thermal qualities of the building, the homeowner need not reach for the air conditioning or heating thermostat right away, because the temperature inside will be far more stable.
Dome of a Home – Pensacola Beach, Florida
The late architect Jonathan Zimmerman developed a passion for domes while studying at Idaho State University. It’s fitting, therefore, that the project he is most associated with is the Dome of a Home in Pensacola Beach. This four-bedroom, three-bathroom property encompasses 3,200 square feet of living space. Nearly soundproof, the building is fitted with a geothermal heat pump and dehumidifiers that cope admirably with Florida’s subtropical climate.
This remarkable beach house has even withstood several hurricanes since it was built in 2003. It made headlines when a direct battering from Hurricane Ivan, by then a Category 3 storm, had minimal consequences while an estimated 80% of Pensacola properties were damaged or destroyed.
The Shapeshifter House – Reno, Nevada
OPA’s Shapeshifter House is located on the edge of Reno, looking out over the desert mountains beyond the city. What began as a flat, featureless lot in 2018 soon took on a very different form. The firm “reshaped the site into anticlines and synclines, dunes and blowouts, and gradually the form of the house emerged with the terrain,” according to its website.
It’s this irregular shape, paired with a head-turner of a zinc-paneled roof and prolific use of glass, that gives it a futuristic appearance and breaks the suburban mold in such a dramatic way. While the radical design of the Shapeshifter House won’t please everyone, it’s certainly a talking point in this neighborhood and beyond.
Futuro House – Various Locations
Finnish architect Matti Suuronen conceived of the Futuro House in 1968. The spaceship-like design was no accident: Suuronen chose an ellipsoidal shell in order to maximize space inside. The materials that he used, such as fiberglass, acrylic windows, and polyester resin, were considered cutting-edge at the time. Better yet: The prefabricated building could be made in a factory, loaded onto a truck, and assembled on site in next to no time.
Approximately 60 Futuro Houses were constructed, many in the U.S. Today, you’ll find them scattered across the country in cities such as Milton, Delaware; Willingboro, New Jersey; Covington, Kentucky; Carlisle, Ohio; and Royse, Texas. While the Futuro House had its die-hard fans, its popularity was short-lived. Thanks to the oil crisis of 1973, the price of plastic soared and this futuristic capsule became a relic of a different era.
The Starburst House – Joshua Tree, California
Picture a shipping container, and chances are you wouldn’t envision it as the basis for a groundbreaking and beautiful home. Nevertheless, this humble structure is what makes up the planned 2,112-square-foot Starburst House that British architect James Whitaker designed for a 90-acre site in Joshua Tree, California, in 2017.
Despite renderings of its design going viral, several years later the project has yet to be built. The plan is for a series of stacked, angled containers to create a striking, yet simple form in which high-end materials will be used to fit out a modish interior. White has been chosen as the exterior paint color to provide contrast with the ochres, terracottas, and greens of the desert palette that surrounds it.
The property is currently listed for sale, and all it will take to realize the architect’s ambition and make this futuristic house a reality is for a buyer to stump up the $3.5 million it’s estimated it will take to build it.
Featured Stories
More from our network
Daily Passport is part of Optimism, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
