Asking $10.5M, This Desert Prefab by Marmol Radziner Doesn’t Want for “Wow” Factor

Assembled from 36 steel-frame modules, the Las Vegas residence even has its own James Turrell installation.

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Perhaps a price drop will entice someone to snatch up this impressive prefabricated home in Las Vegas, Nevada. First listed for $14,500,000 in 2018, the residence is now asking $10,500,000—still a hefty price tag, but one that reflects an innovative design by Marmol Radziner and an installation by James Turrell. Comprising 36 modules that were assembled on-site in just four days, it’s one of the renowned firm’s few prefab projects.

Built in 2009, this prefab home by Marmol Radziner is sited about 12 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The property also features a pyramidal "skyspace" by American artist and MacArthur Fellow James Turrell, best known for similar installations at public and private sites around the world.

Inside the Turrell-designed concrete structure, stairs descend into a sequence of subterranean observation rooms, each of which are illuminated by colored lights during sunrise and sunset. Shown here, the first room looks back to framed views through the entryway, while an adjacent space (not pictured) provides skyward views through an opening in the ceiling.

At 12,991 square feet, the steel-frame structure is also an impactful example of how far prefab designs can be stretched without compromise. Marmol Radziner, who also managed the fabrication in their own factory, originally built the home for the family of Jim Murren, former chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.

Murren contacted the firm after learning about Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner’s award-winning restoration of the iconic Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra. A mutual connection with artist James Turrell, whose work Murren collects, sealed the deal and eventually led to Turrell's own involvement in the project.

At the center of the home, a nearly double-height living area overlooks a below-grade central courtyard that is enclosed by the structure on all sides.

The 48-foot-wide living area was constructed using four of the steel-frame modules that, like other spaces in the home, arrived with pre-finished floors, walls, doors, and fenestration.

In our 2016 interview, Murren described his desire for eco-friendly construction—something he worked to introduce at MGM properties and others around Las Vegas. But he also wanted a home that meshed with the local landscape. "I support the creation of buildings that have a positive environmental impact, and in Las Vegas, I think you need to embrace the desert," he said.

"Prefab was clearly the best and greenest way to go," Radziner added. "During the four months it took to prepare the two-level concrete basement garage and foundation, the home’s room modules were manufactured in California." The structure comprises 24 modules dedicated to interior space and 12 for exterior spaces, including covered terraces and poolside pavilions. Once all of the modules were set in place, the project took an additional three months to complete on-site.

The home's two wings divide public and private spaces on either side of the living area. Here, a formal dining area looks toward distant views of the Las Vegas Strip.

In an adjacent space, an open-concept kitchen features stainless-steel countertops and a large, U-shaped cabinetry arrangement.

A seating area and informal dining space open to one of many covered outdoor spaces.

The home reportedly features more than 4,700 square feet of covered and semi-covered patios.

Offering five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the capacious residence also comes with a subterranean parking garage and indoor basketball court. The gated site was also landscaped with drought-tolerant and native species, allowing the home’s rust-colored exterior to blend in its surrounds. Keep scrolling to see more.