A bedroom at this remodelled and extended house in Porto, Portugal, has been wrapped in cork to shield it from the noise of a nearby school playground (+ slideshow). More about ATKA Arquitectos uses cork cladding to minimise noise inside Casa Bonjardim
This house for a retired couple in the Norwegian city of Grimstad features a brick base supporting a wedge-shaped timber roof that incorporates a balcony overlooking the nearby fjords (+ slideshow). More about Schjelderup Trondahl Architects' Vardåsen House is topped with an angular timber box
A water-filled patio with a slatted roof cuts into one corner of this L-shaped house near Córdoba, Argentina, which was designed by Agustín Lozada for a young family (+ slideshow). More about Glass walls and terraces frame views from bright white house in Argentina
This house near Hamilton, Ontario, relies on a combination of fireplaces and straw walls to keep it warm, with a rooftop meadow adding to its green credentials (+ slideshow). More about Straw bales insulate monochrome house in Ontario by Nicolas Koff
This family home in Toronto by local firm Paul Raff Studio features a brise-soleil made of aluminium louvres, designed to "bounce sunlight deep into the space". More about Aluminium louvres screen facade of Toronto home by Paul Raff Studio
Tokyo studio Naf Architect & Design designed this house in Niigata to fit around a narrow driveway, which doubles as a space for outdoor get-togethers during the neighbourhood's annual lantern festival (+ slideshow). More about Roadside House by Naf Architect & Design has a driveway that doubles as a party space
A concrete wine cellar props up one end of this tall white house by Portuguese architect João Mendes Ribeiro, located on an estate that also features an olive grove and a vineyard (+ slideshow). More about João Mendes Ribeiro slots concrete wine cellar below gabled house in rural Portugal
A white-rendered concrete screen extends from the upper floor of this house near Guadalajara, Mexico, blocking views to the street but framing a perspective of the garden and sky (+ slideshow). More about Abraham Cota Paredes completes introspective white house in Mexico
This lakefront weekend home in Massachusetts by Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design features protrusions that gesture toward the sky and water (+ slideshow). More about Taylor and Miller creates sculptural weekend home beside a Massachusetts lake
This concrete residence by Santiago studio Felipe Assadi Architects extends across the craggy cliffs of the Los Vilos coastline in Chile's Coquimbo region (+ slideshow). More about Concrete house by Felipe Assadi stretches along the rugged Chilean coastline
This concrete house in Mexico by New York- and Tijuana-based T38 Studio is organised as a nine-square grid with a courtyard at its centre (+ slideshow). More about Courtyard house in Tijuana by T38 Studio is based on a nine-square grid
Six slabs of wafer-thin concrete form the floors and walls of this house by Kubota Architect Atelier, which cuts into the side of a mountain in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture (+ slideshow). More about Thin concrete planes define mountain home in Japan by Kubota Architect Atelier
A pair of Lithuanian architecture studios have built a series of timber-clad houses on top of 1920s ammunition stores in parkland north of Vilnius (+ slideshow). More about Timber-clad houses raised up on stilts over ammunition vaults in Vilnius parkland
Grass ramps over the curving form of this house in the French countryside, which was designed by architect Julien De Smedt as a contemporary alternative to the region's "pastiche chalets" (+ slideshow). More about French villa designed by Julien De Smedt to look like a bump in the landscape
This family house in Shiga, Japan, is made up of two structures – a simple two-storey block set on a patio, and a small timber pavilion that opens out to a landscaped garden (+ slideshow). More about Maibara House by Alts Design Office combines a windowless block and a small garden pavilion
Portuguese architects Sofia Parente and André Delgado have converted an old stone barn in Viana do Castelo into a compact two-storey residence (+ slideshow). More about Par-Do transforms stone-walled Portuguese barn into compact residence
This English countryside residence was designed by Gresford Architects to be self-sufficient, but to still look and feel like a traditional, "normal" house (+ slideshow). More about Gresford Architects completes energy-efficient home modelled on a traditional barn
Plants and ponds are incorporated into the roof, walls and terraces of this concrete house in Singapore to make it feel like it is "enveloped by a garden" (+ movie). More about Chiltern House by WOW Architects features a rooftop lily pond to attract birds
The rooflines of this house and coffee shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, are slanted at different angles to ensure all rooms offer clear views of a canal in front (+ slideshow). More about Ekar Architects completes canal-side house in Thailand with adjoining cafe and music room
Jay Bargmann of Rafael Viñoly Architects has designed a house for his family in the Catskill Mountains, featuring glass walls that reflect the scenic landscape (+ slideshow). More about Jay Bargmann nestles glass-box home into hillside in rural New York