The Experimental $28 Million Mojave Desert Manse May Be the Most State-of-the-Art Home in the Country

Las Vegas is home to all things extravagant, risky and riotously excessive. Which is why an idiosyncratic, super-luxury custom home on the edge of the Mojave Desert fits right in. The new spec house from Blue Heron, the cutting-edge Nevada design company, is intended to exude both the theatrical spectacle of the Las Vegas Strip and the natural spirit of the desert from which it sprung, according to Blue Heron’s CEO and founder, Tyler Jones.

The five-bedroom experimental home, which was completed last month and is seen here for the first time, is the most expensive current listing in Las Vegas at $28 million. Known as Vegas Modern 001, it was designed as a showcase for Blue Heron’s technological and architectural innovation and incorporates various performative feats of engineering and design. It sits in Dragon’s Reserve, a master-planned community in MacDonald Highlands, on a 1.26-acre lot overlooking the bright lights of the city from a cocoon of comfort and security (there’s a panic room, naturally).

Material indulgences proliferate throughout its 15,000 square feet, including a bedroom accessed over a glass bridge with a 180-degree view of the Las Vegas Valley below through a 40-foot glass wall. There’s a reception room with water features on three walls and a “digital den” with a 13.5-foot LED screen, which is so enormous it can be seen from several of the open-plan living spaces. One of the eight bathrooms has a 30-foot ceiling. In the master bathroom, a concealed mirror in the ceiling descends on motorized wires.

Outside, across 5,000 square feet of deck space, are three interconnected pools, two outdoor kitchens, three outdoor showers, a lounge with a full working bar, nine fire features and a deck with views of the Las Vegas Strip. The 11-car garage has a show-car display system, Tesla-charging stations and built-in televisions.

“It’s extremely unique in every possible way,” says Jones. “It’s meant to demonstrate ingenuity, creativity and [our] seamless design and execution abilities.”

Experimental features of the home, which is listed with Kristen Routh-Silberman of Sotheby’s International Realty, include a sophisticated off-grid power system, fueled by the region’s largest residential solar array, paired with advanced battery and microgrid technology. A smart biophilic system allows residents to sync home technology with their circadian rhythm, shifting the lighting and temperature inside with that of the outdoors.

Biophilic is often used to refer to the technical aspects of air filtration and lighting, but Jones has a more emotional take on the concept. “When we say ‘biophilic’ we refer to the way that natural elements are integrated into the design,” he said. “There’s water on three sides of the great room, and you can hear it and feel the humidity. Plant life is literally coming into your living space.” Fire features and views are incorporated to “recreate the best parts of nature in a manmade home.”

The unique aspects of the house include an unusual sale condition: Buyers have to agree to rent the residence to Blue Heron for use as an “experience center” (a.k.a. show home) for 36 months, only after which can the buyer take full possession. This is the third such leaseback arrangement brokered by the developer, which specializes in luxury custom homes that are designed, constructed and furnished from land purchase to final sale by an in-house team of specialist architects, builders and interior designers. This enables Blue Heron to oversee every detail, an approach that Jones says is “critical to the quality of execution.”

Jones, who says “multiple billionaires” have already viewed the home, expects a buyer who is looking for “something ultra-special for entertaining, a trophy that’s going to impress.”

Check out more photos of the home below: