Desert Reef Cabins

Date: 2026
Location: Florence, Colorado, United States

Out in the quiet of the high desert, we’ve been designing a new kind of 3D-printed adobe retreat — a place where earth, water, and sky work together to shape a different way of living.

This experimental structure is to be printed entirely from soil gathered on site, forming thick, sheltering walls that hold the day’s warmth and release it slowly into the night. A lightweight roof structure hovers above — almost floating — shading the adobe, opening to the horizon, and framing the movement of sun and stars.

At the center is a small hot pool, fed by mineral-rich water, turning the retreat into a place not just to stay, but to restore. The pool, the adobe, and the desert air become a single ecosystem of heat, texture, and calm.

This prototype is part of an ongoing exploration into how earthen 3D printing can create architecture that’s deeply connected to landscape, resourceful, and rooted in ancient practices while imagining new futures. A small refuge, printed from the ground it stands on.

Credits 

Architectural Design, Interior Design, Material Expertise, and Programming: Ronald Rael, Andrew Kudless, Virginia San Fratello, Eryn King
Client: Desert Reef Hot Springs