(4VXQGWNXX6ZZ) Palm Springs just got a new neighbor in town – a steel home. The 2300-square foot project is designed by award-winning architect Jim Jennings for the company Blue Sky Building Systems. According to the news story, “The company founded by Palm Springs resident David McAdam to bring Wexler’s technology and aesthetic into the 21st century”.
The idea behind the steel home is to give a modern look to the look Donald Wexler made famous in 1961. Wexler built seven steel homes and they are still considered the jewels of Palm Springs even five decades later. There is a difference between the steel homes, though. Wexler relied on factory made steel panels and frames, where as Jennings “uses steel in more traditional ways to create a prefab-custom home hybrid better suited to Palm Springs’ flat lots”.
Jennings says that the use of steel is important for a home because it allows for the home to be built quicker. Steel also has longevity, sustainable characteristics, and recyclability. In fact, each piece of steel used is 30-60% recycled. That is not the only green addition though. The home will be wired for a solar system and the walls will be well insulated.
The steel home also lets homeowners enjoy the outdoors. Jennings designed the home so that the only thing between the homeowner and their beautiful property is a pane of glass. It is the perfect home for Palm Springs because residents enjoy many activities outdoors.
Not only does this home look cool and have amazing features, but it will only take four months to build. You read that right, four months for a custom-built home. Usually wood homes take about eight months to a year. This steel home may be the inspiration for many home builders. Who doesn’t want a better quality home that is less expensive and takes less time to build?
So what does the original steel man, Donald Wexler, think about all of this? Well, he hasn’t been able to see the home yet, but his son has and says, “They’ve taken the concept of the steel homes that my father had pioneered and they have brought it up to current day. It’s very exciting to see architects taking this path.”
Who knows, your next house may be a steel one…
