This holiday home on the southern coast of Nova Scotia perches on a row of narrow concrete fins just metres from the Atlantic Ocean (+ slideshow). More about Sunset Rock House on the edge of the ocean by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Walls of weathered stone and timber surround this gabled family retreat by British studio McLean Quinlan Architects on the Devon coastline in south-west England (+ slideshow). More about Mortehoe House by McLean Quinlan Architects
This small white building on the edge of the Danube River in Vienna was designed by Austrian studio Share Architects for use as a holiday home or party venue. More about Bathing Hut by Share Architects
A cluster of five gabled cabins make up this summer retreat in northern Denmark by architects Powerhouse Company (+ movie). More about Village House by Powerhouse Company
This wooden holiday house by Swedish studio Max Holst Arkitektkontor is perched on the edge of a gorge in Vindö, an island on the Stockholm archipelago (+ slideshow). More about Holiday House Vindö by Max Holst Arkitektkontor
French architecture studio RAUM has arranged a cluster of holiday apartments in Brittany around terraces that are connected by small alleys (+ slideshows). More about Two Houses and Two Studios by RAUM
This tiny wooden cabin in Sweden contains a sauna and a bedroom with large picture windows that frame views of the surrounding forest (+ slideshow). More about Ermitage Cabin by Septembre
This riverside holiday house in South Limburg, the Netherlands, is raised on tree trunks to prevent flooding and clad with charred wood to reduce the need for maintenance (+ slideshow). More about Sustainable house on the Geul by Upfrnt and Zwarthout
A row of raw concrete gables give a zig-zagging profile to this summer house by Swedish studio Tham & Videgård Arkitekter on an island in the Stockholm archipelago (+ slideshow). More about Summerhouse Lagnö by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter
The roof of this house in Paraguay can be lifted open like the lid of a box (+ movie). More about Caja Oscura by Javier Corvalán
This slatted structure by architects Plasma Studio looks like it's crawling over an apartment building in the Italian Dolomites (+ slideshow). More about Paramount Residence Alma by Plasma Studio
French designers Zébra3/Buy-Sellf have designed a prefabricated holiday home in the shape of a cloud that sits next to a lake in south-west France (+ slideshow). More about Le Nuage by Zébra3/Buy-Sellf
A contemporary house inserted behind the crumbling walls of a ruined twelfth-century castle in Warwickshire, England, by Witherford Watson Mann is one of the six projects nominated for the 2013 Stirling Prize (+ slideshow). More about Astley Castle renovation by Witherford Watson Mann
This guest house by Russian architect Peter Kostelov has a patchwork timber facade with perforated panels that look like paper doilies (+ slideshow). More about Deco Pattern House by Peter Kostelov
Seaweed pillows were used as cladding for this holiday house on the Danish island of Læsø by architecture studio Vandkunsten and non-profit organisation Realdania Byg (+ slideshow). More about The Modern Seaweed House by Vandkunsten and Realdania Byg
The southernmost tip of Scotland's Isle of Skye is the setting for this small wooden house by local firm Dualchas Architects (+ slideshow). More about Tigh Port na Long by Dualchas Architects
Roughly hewn concrete gives a rocky texture to the walls of this Alpine holiday home by Austrian studio Marte.Marte Architects (+ slideshow). More about Mountain Cabin by Marte.Marte Architects
This guest house by American firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson nestles against a rugged stone wall within a coastal mountain range in California (+ slideshow). More about Halls Ridge Knoll Guest House by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Windows of various shapes and sizes give this weekend retreat on the south-east coast of Japan the appearance of a children's shape-sorter toy. More about Nowhere but Sajima by Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects
This holiday house with rammed earth walls by US architects DUST is nestled amongst the rocky outcrops and sprouting cacti of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona (+ slideshow). More about Tucson Mountain Retreat by DUST