A "forest" of sweet gum trees grows through openings in the concrete slabs of this house in Morelia, Mexico, by Roof Arquitectos, providing an alternative to a central courtyard (+ movie). More about Trees grow through the floors of Julio Hernández house by Roof Arquitectos
This house in Japan features bright white walls and mirrored surfaces inside and out to make the most of the surrounding greenery and natural light (+ slideshow). More about Mirrors and white walls draw light through House in Okazaki by Kazuki Moroe Architects
Set back from the beach behind a row of houses, this Mexican villa by architect BAAQ has terraces and a swimming pool raised up so residents can relax outdoors with a view of the ocean (photos by Edmund Sumner + slideshow). More about BAAQ completes seaside house in Mexico with an elevated pool and a thatched roof
Students in a design-and-build programme at the University of Kansas have completed a family dwelling intended to demonstrate a more responsible approach to house building (+ slideshow). More about Studio 804 builds Kansas home designed to achieve net-zero energy consumption
Different cladding materials distinguish three separate homes in this New York property, which was designed by O'Neill Rose Architects for an extended family (+ slideshow). More about New York house by O'Neill Rose Architects hosts three generations under one roof
A trio of volumes are stacked one on top of each other to form this hillside residence near Tehran by New Wave Architecture, but each one is angled towards a different view (+ slideshow). More about Iranian house by New Wave Architecture is made up of three irregularly stacked boxes
Bands of shutters featuring a geometric perforated pattern appear to form seamless surfaces that extend across the facade of this house in Tel Aviv by Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem (+ slideshow). More about Perforated shutters create geometric facade for Pitsou Kedem's house in Tel Aviv
This home and recording studio for a musician features overhanging roofs and perches on a rocky hillside overlooking a dam in a secret location in Africa (+ slideshow). More about Timber and granite residence by Studio Seilern stands on a rocky ledge above an African dam
This cabin perched on a hillside on Norway's west coast features modular rooms that extend outwards from the main structure to enhance views of the adjacent fjord (+ slideshow). More about Rever & Drage's holiday cabin features wooden pods that frame views of a Norwegian fjord
Plans to build a subterranean residence with a swimming pool for a roof were given the go-ahead this week, prompting us to pin wildly ambitious house designs – built or imagined – to a new Pinterest board.
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More about Daring house designs feature on Dezeen's new Pinterest board
Möhring Architekten clad this holiday home in rural Germany in black-painted wood to look like a traditional barn, but then cut windows out of the corners to give it a contemporary edge (+ slideshow). More about House Wieckin by Möhring Architekten features black-painted walls and deep corner windows
A narrow window extends up to the roof of this chapel-like wooden house in southwest London, bringing light into a compact interior that is partly sunken below ground (+ slideshow). More about Giles Pike Architects completes timber-clad house for a tiny London plot
For this house on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japanese architect Tetsuo Yamaji aimed to create a unique building using mass-produced components (+ slideshow). More about Tetsuo Yamaji builds "a non-mass-produced house with mass-produced components"
A hole in the roof of this timber-clad house extension in Sydney reveals the location of a secluded courtyard. More about Cutaway Roof House by Scale Architecture has a courtyard sliced out of one side
Open Platform for Architecture is moving forward with plans to build a subterranean residence that will slice into a mountain near Beirut and feature a glass swimming pool for a roof (+ slideshow). More about OPA finds backer for cliffside residence sunken into Lebanese mountain
Amsterdam collective Fiction Factory has developed a modular building system of cardboard components, which can be assembled in just one day to form houses or offices (+ slideshow). More about Fiction Factory builds prototype for "groundbreaking" cardboard house
Architect Sean Griffiths has unveiled plans to add a shed-inspired roof extension to the Blue House, one of the best-known projects of his former studio FAT. More about FAT's seminal Blue House set for rooftop extension
American studio SAS Designbuild has completed a family dwelling in a historic Boston neighbourhood that reads as two separate homes due to its unusual facade treatment. More about SAS Designbuild combines two facade styles for an urban Boston home
Three fantasy house plans have been selected as the winners of the Design a Beautiful House competition: a marble-clad mansion, a subterranean lakeside dwelling and a linear property with faceted bays. More about Winners in beautiful house contest include marble walls and underground rooms
Architects office Mariusz Wrzeszcz has completed a single-storey house in Poland featuring cedar-clad walls, and a glazed living room that opens out to a spacious terrace (+ slideshow). More about Mariusz Wrzeszcz completes house in Poland with cedar walls inside and out