“Sean Lockyer presses his body weight against an 11,000-pound hunk of iron ore suspended midair. The rock twists slowly on its chain as a heavy equipment operator lowers it into place. Two workmen make haste to backfill so the beast doesn’t lose stability and sink.
It’s another boulder-setting day at Lot 50 in Desert Palisades, a private residential community perched in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains in Palm Springs. Lockyer, founding principal and lead architect of Studio AR&D Architects, and his team have been hauling rocks around this site in Chino Canyon for weeks, but the physical labor will soon come to an end. With less than two months to go, the firm is on a tight deadline to ensure this spec showpiece is dressed and ready for Modernism Week (April 8–18)…”

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