A Modular Retreat in the Desert

At the edge of Joshua Tree National Park, Reset Hotel is a modular retreat designed for simplicity and connection to nature.

Designed by Benjamin Uyeda, Adam Wininger, and Gry Space, the project transforms prefabricated modules into a minimalist desert retreat. Every detail is designed to blend with the landscape, encouraging guests to slow down, unwind, and experience the quiet beauty of the surroundings.

Set on 180 acres in Twentynine Palms, only a small fraction of the land is developed. The remaining landscape remains untouched—a vast, open expanse of wilderness that guests are free to wander.

Guest rooms are arranged in rows of grey modular units, each resembling the form and dimension of a shipping container. Inside, materials are pared back to the essentials: warm timber shelves, white-tiled bathrooms, and expansive glazing that captures desert light. Some suites open onto private patios with outdoor bathtubs and fire pits—spaces that dissolve the line between interior and landscape.

Reset Hotel shows how modular design can be thoughtful and deeply connected to place. Instead of competing with the landscape, it works with it – using simple forms, muted materials and minimal intervention to create calm. Every detail, from locally crafted ceramics to hand-finished metal panels, reflects a respect for craft and environment.

It’s a reminder that prefabrication is as much about building smarter, lighter and more beautifully in tune with nature, as it is about efficiency.