Los Angeles firm Studio AR+D has built a weathering steel-clad guardhouse for a new neighbourhood in Palm Springs, with cantilevers that form a roof over a parking spot and large boulder.

Desert Palisades Guardhouse forms a security checkpoint for a residential area under construction in the Californian desert city. The expansive views of Chino Canyon from the site informed the building's construction, with its rusty steel facade that blends in with the arid landscape.

Measuring 915 square feet (85 square metres), the building most prominent feature is a large canopy that extends 34 feet (10 metres) over the space where cars stop on their way into the neighbourhood. A 12-foot-tall (3.7-metre) chunk of rock nearly touches the cantilevered roof, with just a small gap left below the timber-lined ceiling.
"We really wanted this boulder to appear that it was very close to the roof but not quite connecting to it physically," said Studio AR+D. "We preferred the tension created between the two structures, natural and man-made, and wanted them to speak to the other while still remaining elusive of one another."

The guardhouse includes a sitting area, mailroom and bathroom inside. Connected to the attendant area is a sunlit space with floor-to-ceiling windows, while a break room with a small kitchen and rest area make up the rest of the facilities.

The construction materials of the guardhouse were chosen to compliment to the desert environment and left untre...