A concrete staircase with a granite surface is suspended inside the atrium of this house in Porto Alegre, Brazil, which is divided into two parts connected by a bridge (+ slideshow). More
This house in Spain by architect Ramón Esteve is fronted by solid stone walls, behind which rooms are organised around a swimming pool and terrace (+ movie). More
After almost five years in the making, architecture studio FAT and artist Grayson Perry have completed their fairytale-inspired Essex holiday home, which was designed as a shrine to the fictional character Julie Cope (+ slideshow). More
This house in Tokyo was constructed using an industrially manufactured steel framework and cladding, making it look more like a factory than a residence (+ slideshow). More
A drystone wall frames the glazed pavilions that make up this family summer house, which is perched on a hilltop on the southern tip of Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula (+ slideshow). More
A glazed corridor connects the four house-shaped buildings that make up this holiday home on the outskirts of Porto, designed by young Portuguese studio PROD (+ slideshow). More
Solar panels cover the rooftops of these four townhouses in Boston by local firm ISA, allowing them to sustainably produce more energy and hot water than their occupants are likely to use (+ slideshow). More
Nestled into a grove of mature trees in the Tennessee countryside, this timber-framed farmhouse features a sheltered swimming pool and a large porch where residents can look out over gently rolling fields (+ slideshow). More
Tato Architects has replaced all of the walls inside a traditional Japanese house with curving plywood screens (+ slideshow). More
Terracotta tiles, balcony corridors and a secluded courtyard all feature at this renovated Spanish home, for which Barcelona studio Arquitectura-G has been awarded the European Union's Emerging Architect prize (+ slideshow). More
This holiday home near the northern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, features a balcony-like room that allows residents to enjoy the scenic surroundings all year round (+ slideshow). More
This wedge-shaped cabin, installed by architect Todd Saunders in the garden of a Norwegian home, appears to have had a chunk cut away from its middle to create a garden terrace (+ slideshow). More
Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati added concrete fins to the walls of this house in rural Portugal, which splay outwards and inwards like the flaps of an open box to provide shade for a garden within (+ slideshow). More
This extension to a home in Kortrijk, Belgium, was added by local architect Steven Vandenborre to wrap around the property's outdoor swimming pool (+ slideshow). More
This compact brick house in north London by local office Satish Jassal Architects is squeezed onto a small plot at the end of a Victorian terrace, which influenced the use of materials and the facade arrangement (+ slideshow). More
Sydney office Aileen Sage Architects designed this house for one of its partners around a "secret garden" containing a circular patio for outdoor dining (+ slideshow). More
The faceted metal surfaces of this addition to a dairy farmer's house in the Japanese city of Sodegaura fold around a courtyard that connects it with the original building (+ slideshow). More
Tall brick chimney stacks and half gable profiles characterise these east London bungalows by Patel Taylor that are designed to house the area's retired residents (+ slideshow). More
Sections of perforated brickwork set into the walls of this Bangkok residence by local architect Jun Sekino allow light to filter into terraces while screening residents from the street (+ slideshow). More
The four blocks that make up this house in Japan all feature different kinds of windows, designed by architect Kazuki Moroe to offer varying perspectives of a neighbouring Shinto shrine (+ slideshow). More