Surrounded by farmland in rural Japan, this house by architecture studio Tailored Design Lab features a steeply pointed roof that frames views of the landscape, and an oversized chimney that provides natural ventilation (+ slideshow). More about Family house in Japan designed by Tailored Design Lab to embrace its farmland setting
Long horizontal windows step around the matt black facade of this family home in Osaka by Alphaville Architects to frame different views of the nearby Yodo River (+ slideshow). More about Windows spiral towards the roof of Osaka house by Alphaville Architects
A team from the University of Coimbra in Portugal has unveiled the first photographs of a prefabricated floating house that can be built to order and shipped to almost anywhere in the world (+ slideshow). More about Prefabricated floating house can be transported to lakes and waterways worldwide
London studio RA Projects has reconfigured and refurbished a house owned by fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic, adding a blue steel staircase in the centre designed to look "like a sculpture in a gallery" (+ slideshow). More about RA Projects inserts blue steel staircase into London house for Roksanda Ilincic
A deep slice through the body of this house by Japanese studio Alphaville reveals a trio of staircases that angle up between different rooms (+ slideshow). More about Alphaville's Slice of the City is a house cut into two uneven sections
Seoul studio Doojin Hwang Architects has completed a stone house with a bowed roof for a citrus farm on the South Korean island of Jeju (+ slideshow). More about Stone residence by Doojin Hwang stands among citrus trees on Jeju island
Modelled on the head of a windswept woman, this copper observation pod is one of three holiday homes completed by South Korean architect Moon Hoon on a stone-walled plot on Jeju Island (+ slideshow). More about Golden observation pod tops Jeju island holiday cottages by Moon Hoon
Los Angeles-based Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects (LOHA) has restored and updated the Julius Shulman Home and Studio in the Hollywood Hills, where the influential photographer lived for six decades (+ slideshow). More about LOHA updates mid-century home built for legendary photographer Julius Shulman
A pair of terraces are hidden behind the board-marked concrete facade of this townhouse in Marseille, which was designed by ACAU Architects for a young family. More about Marseille house by ACAU Architects features board-marked concrete and an angular window
Half of this floating house by +31 Architects is submerged below the waterline of Amsterdam's river Amstel, while the other opens out to a buoyant terrace (+ slideshow). More about Floating home by +31 Architects is moored on an Amsterdam river
Stark white walls frame vistas of the Ionian Sea from a bright white house by Brussels-based architect Olivier Dwek, which is perched above the coastline of Zante (+ slideshow). More about Silver House by Olivier Dwek stands on the forested hillside of the Greek island Zante
A robust concrete facade provides protection from traffic noise for these two houses squeezed onto a narrow plot in the Colegiales neighbourhood of Buenos Aires (+ slideshow). More about BAK Arquitectos squeezes two concrete homes onto a narrow city plot
Horizontal slits create lines of shadow across the facades of this beachfront house in Israel by Pitsou Kedem Architects, which has a cantilevered upper storey that projects towards the Mediterranean Sea (+slideshow). More about Pitsou Kedem's House by the Sea features stripy aluminium walls and a cantilevered bedroom
Trusses salvaged from an earthquake-damaged barn support the roof of this contemporary glass-walled summer cottage on the shores of one of Chile's largest lakes (+ slideshow). More about Estudio Valdés reuses roof and structure of a derelict barn to build House at Lake Ranco
Rooms in this Bengaluru house are arranged around a large indoor pool that occupies a double-height atrium below a glazed roof (+ slideshow). More about Skylit swimming pool forms the heart of Bengaluru residence by Ochre
The concrete walls of this Tokyo house were designed by architect Hugo Kohno to step in and out, giving the building extra structural support while creating built-in shelves and seating (+ slideshow). More about Cranks house by Hugo Kohno features concrete walls that step in and out
Swedish architect Andreas Martin-Löf has completed a weekend retreat for himself on a steep hill overlooking the Stockholm archipelago, with eye-level views of the surrounding tree canopy (+ slideshow). More about Andreas Martin-Löf designs hilltop home near Stockholm with views over the treetops
This Kuala Lumpur home has bedrooms with corners that slide open, an indoor tree and voids between the floors to make the interior feel more like an outdoor space (+ slideshow). More about Fabian Tan's Ittka House is designed to offer respite from Malaysian heat
The facades and walled garden of this house in the English town of Newbury are entirely faced in Flemish-bonded handmade bricks that reference the neighbouring Arts and Crafts buildings (+ slideshow). More about Tompkins Rygole's Woodridge house evokes Arts and Crafts architecture with brick facades
Seoul studio OBBA has completed a house for a pair of newlyweds, featuring a floor that doubles as a bench, a retractable staircase and a dedicated loft for a pet cat (+ slideshow). More about House in Seoul by OBBA features a retractable staircase and a loft for cats