Desert X | Ronald Rael

b. Conejos County, Colorado, 1971
Based in Berkeley, California

Adobe Oasis
33.804173, -116.547437
1555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

For the past 150 years, traditional craft techniques in wood, stone, earth, and textiles have faced neglect, resulting in the loss of invaluable ancestral knowledge. Architect, artist, and activist Ronald Rael champions the revival and reimagining of these methods by integrating contemporary technologies, presenting them as sustainable and innovative solutions for the future. Rooted in Colorado’s San Luis Valley—a historic borderland between the U.S. and Mexico before 1848—Rael draws inspiration from Indigenous and earthen construction practices.

Rael’s work engages with over 10,000 years of earthen building history, offering a compelling counterpoint to the environmental impact of modern architecture. Against the backdrop of architectural relics from western expansion and 20th-century real estate development, Adobe Oasis stands as a powerful alternative, highlighting the potential of earthen materials amid the climate crisis.

The advantages of adobe—low cost, energy efficiency, fire resistance, and non-toxicity—are enhanced by technological advancements in additive manufacturing, paving the way for sustainable architecture. Rael brought Adobe Oasis to life through a unique 3D printing process, utilizing robotic programming to create structures entirely from mud. The corrugated earthen ribbons mimic the texture of palm trees, inspired by the legacy of Coachella Valley’s palm oases, which have thrived on desert waters for millennia.

Adobe Oasis invites visitors into a dynamic landscape, where passageways frame views of the land and sky, fostering solitude and connection—reflecting the cyclical flow of geologic time. For Rael, this land-based project serves as both an artistic endeavor and a research initiative, with each of his 3D-printed adobe structures building on the last, advancing his vision for sustainable housing alternatives.