A Different Kind of California Roll. You Can Live In This One, A Cool Modern Prefab.

A pre-fabricated house designed for the desert by Christopher Daniel of Violent Volumes - The California Roll House, 2011.



The following text was written by the designer of the structure and is reprinted here:
At times, the simplest form with least manipulation from its original form can offer visual amenities and adapted solution to the context. California Roll prefabricated house takes this methodology to create its morphological adaptation to its environment : desert. Homogeneous exterior material which provides high grade of energy efficiency and reflects heat from the sun covers the entire surface except for glass panels which is electronically controlled to change its transparency.




Modularization of every structure members and finish materials are maximized to provide mobility with rapid assembly and disassembly on site.



To sustain its challenging structural stand, carbon fibre truss frame under neath the exterior material holds the entire architecture. Hydraulic powered automatic doors and security system is used for main entrance door which allows less spaces to operate the door mechanism. California Roll house features these latest technologies applied to architecture which breaks the boundary of product or vehicle design and architectural design which brings more mobility to living spaces.



Plain surface on the ground extended from exterior surface provides paved area for out door activities which requires flat and artificial surface different from desert sand surface. As well as surface on the ground, inside of exterior shell is covered with fibre reinforced plastic panels.




Modularized skylights and windows along the exterior surface can be placed at desired location to light its interior space to meet resident’s requirement from his own usage of the space.




Passive and subtle control of privacy of bedroom area is provided by curtain divider and bookshelf with translucent midpart.



These parts allows the residents to have sense of privacy by delicate visual hints over as well as providing lights through.



Overall, the privacy in California Roll is controlled rather passively with resident’s awareness than tight blocking of spaces in-between.




Main Entrance/ Front Door
Since the main entrance is on the sloped wall, the door mechanism should be designed in unconventional way. Adopting ideas from automotive design industry, hydraulic powered automatic door controlled by number lock panel is installed on the sloped wall as main entrance to minimize the space required for operation to avoid contact with user while in operation. When the door is fully open, the clearance height is up to 2 meters.




The door opens into two pieces, the upper piece lifts up over head, and the lower piece unfolds onto the floor for visitors to step on. When the door is completely closed, the material on the outside of door continues with the material of the exterior surface to achieve conformity and hide the entrance.

Automatic main door mechanism diagram:



Architectural plans:






Architect/ Designer Christopher Daniel:

images and info courtesy of Christopher Daniel and Violent Volumes

The Truffle - A Rock Like Shelter Built With The Help of a Hungry Cow

The Truffle (or Trufa) is a piece of nature built with earth in Spain. A space within a stone that sits on the ground and blends in with the territory. It's camouflaged by emulating the processes of mineral formation in its structure, and integrates with the natural environment.

The interior of the Truffle (Trufa):
The structure has a fireplace, plumbing and quite a view.





The exterior of the Truffle (Trufa):




The building process (with some help from Paulina, the calf):
To build it, Ensemble Studios made a hole in the ground, piling up the removed topsoil on its perimeter. Then, they filled the volume with hay bales and flooded the space between the earth and the built space to solidify it. The mass was then filled with poured concrete. Time passed and they removed the earth discovering an amorphous mass.



The earth and the concrete exchanged their properties. The land provided the concrete with its texture and color, its form and its essence, and concrete gave the earth its strength and internal structure. But what they had created was not yet architecture, they had fabricated a stone.



They then made a few cuts using quarry machinery to explore its core and discovered its mass inside filled with hay, now compressed by the hydrostatic pressure exerted by concrete on the flimsy vegetable structure.



To empty the interior, they brought in a calf named Paulina, and she enjoyed the 50m3 of hay, from which she was nourished for a year until she left her habitat as an adult and weighing 300 kilos.





She had eaten the interior volume, and space appeared for the first time, restoring the architectural condition of the truffle after having been a shelter for the animal and the vegetable mass for a long time.



Time lapse video:

All images and video courtesy of Ensemble Studios

The Coqoon Treetop Spa Provides Mid-Air Pampering At The Indigo Pearl, Phuket.

Award-winning 5-star Phuket resort Indigo Pearl has just opened a cutting-edge designer spa, most unique for its suspended treetop room providing mid-air pampering.



Modeled on the boyhood vision of internationally renowned designer, Bill Bensley, who is responsible for the entire resort’s raw-industrial meets sensual-chic styling, Coqoon Spa takes guests on a ‘journey of discovery and healing’.






It is set amongst lush tropical rainforest as the resort’s very own ‘Garden of Eden’ and uses a banyan tree as the hanger for its signature treatment room.




Coqoon Spa features six deluxe treatment rooms as well as an exclusive ‘Coqoon Suite’ complete with private pool, rain shower, steam room, sauna and Vichy shower available for private hire for up to 3-days. It comes complete with a spa butler for ease and convenience of multiple treatments throughout guests’ stay.





The ‘pièce de résistance and must-try for all spa enthusiasts is ‘The Nest’ – a luxurious spa suite suspended midair and accessed by a flying bridge, allowing guests to get up close and personal with nature.





Coqoon Spa is adorned throughout in silvery-blue palms and hues of plumbago. It takes the typical ‘zen’ approach to spas and gives it a lively / unusual twist with industrial touches and a fresh colour scheme. Its treatments menu is steeped in Thai tradition whilst embracing holistic ideals in the pursuit of better health and wellness.



On offer is a range of aromatic body treatments, scrubs and wraps, Anne Semonin facial treatments, hand and foot care, and beauty treatments. Rare plant essences, Andaman elixirs and Thai herbal spices excite the senses and rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit, administered by highly qualified therapists ensuring guest comfort and privacy at all times.



This wellness journey extends to the privacy of guests’ own accommodations with custom-designed ‘D-Buk’ spa suites, where individual experiences can be tailored to suit special requests and needs – with spa executives designing an individual treatment programme which is both enjoyable while also meeting specific goals and objectives. These can incorporate diet, exercise, activity, rest and relaxation with spa treatments to ultimately rejuvenate mind, body and spirit.


In celebration of the Coqoon Spa opening, Indigo Pearl is offering the “Coqoon Revival” package, a delicately designed package to revitalize and nourish body and soul available at THB 22,500 net from now until 15 April 2011.



The acclaimed 5-star Indigo Pearl is a fusion of modern architecture and Thai tin-mining heritage next to Nai Yang Beach, just 10 minutes from Phuket International Airport. The resort has been hailed as a design masterpiece by global media publications and boasts easy access with direct flights to Phuket from almost everywhere in Asia.


Indigo Pearl Coqoon Spa

+66 (0) 76 327 006