Each floor of this timber-clad family home on an Amsterdam peninsula features wide windows and steel-framed balconies, offering views out over the IJ river (+ slideshow). More about A Room with a View by MeesVisser is an Amsterdam home overlooking the IJ river
A long, horizontal block is hoisted above the ground on a collection of concrete pods, providing views of paddy fields and mountains for the home, gallery and studio of an embroidery artist in Japan's Shiga Prefecture (+ slideshow). More about Satoru Hirota Architects creates a "floating" home and gallery for an embroidery artist
Bornstein Lyckefors Arkitekter has developed a conceptual house with an integrated outdoor shower, which could be built without permission thanks to a recent change in Sweden's planning rules. More about Waterfall House by Bornstein Lyckefors pushes the limits of a Swedish planning clause
Located on a cliffside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, this house by Cadaval & Solà-Morales is a cluster of 10 cubes that are each oriented towards a different viewpoint (+ slideshow). More about Sunflower House comprises ten cubes pointed in different directions
The industrial aesthetic of this metal-clad house in Tasmania is interrupted by a timber-lined hole through its centre that creates sheltered terraces on either side of the kitchen (+ slideshow). More about Rural Tasmanian house by Philip M Dingemanse has a terrace piercing its middle
These three brick buildings, featuring deep-set windows and internal courtyards, have been arranged by B.E. Architecture around a cobbled lane in the Australian town of Windsor (+ slideshow). More about B.E. Architecture completes a trio of red brick houses for the same family
A doll's house provided the inspiration for this extension to a house outside Melbourne, which features a gabled profile, a simple gridded layout and a transparent rear facade (+ slideshow). More about Gabled extension by BKK Architects borrows the form of a doll's house
A pair of gymnast's rings dangle from the ceiling of this Montreal home, which has been renovated by local architects Naturehumaine to create a new living space for the client's athletic children (+ slideshow) More about Naturehumaine includes gym hoops and apparatus inside a home for two athletes
Sections of brick, zinc, timber and concrete highlight the intentionally irregular form of this Sydney residence – a result of myriad planning restrictions (+ slideshow). More about Bijl Architecture reinterprets the traditional Dutch gable for a Sydney residence
Norwegian architect Aslak Haanshuus has created a cross-shaped house by extending a pair of old lakeside cabins so that they overlap (+ slideshow). More about Aslak Haanshuus transforms two Norwegian log cabins into a cross-shaped house
Rotterdam architect Antonia Reif has renovated and extended a modest 1960s bungalow, creating a two-storey living room and a generous bedroom that both open out to the garden (+ slideshow). More about Antonia Reif adds an inconspicuous extension to a 1960s Rotterdam bungalow
A mountain setting prompted the design of this conceptual wooden residence, which features two cuboid volumes rotated at 45 degrees (+ slideshow). More about Plan Bureau imagines a twin-peaked wooden house in the mountains
American studio Anmahian Winton Architects chose pale wood and dark zinc for the facade of this house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to contrast with its more traditional neighbours (+ slideshow). More about Massachusetts home by Anmahian Winton features a facade of ipe wood and zinc
This family home nestled against the remnants of an ancient stone cottage on the Welsh coast features a composition inspired by the client's interest in abstract art (+ slideshow). More about Stephenson Studio completes a Mondrian-inspired home for a remote site on the Welsh coast
London-based architects Edgley Design used stainless-steel panels more typically applied as roofing to make this ageing Surrey house weather-tight. More about Edgley Design wraps a dilapidated 1960s house in stainless steel roofing
Swedish firm Tham & Videgård has attempted to design Sweden's most desired house – a mash-up of the nation's traditional red-painted timber cottages and a functional box. More about Tham & Videgård draws up designs for "Sweden's statistically most sought-after home"
Smooth grey render covers the bumpy concrete walls of Villa Mörtnäs, a family home built into a granite rock face in a Stockholm neighbourhood (+ slideshow). More about Fourfoursixsix uses aerated concrete for family residence on the Stockholm archipelago
This holiday home in the Scottish Highlands by Glasgow-based Dualchas Architects features a glazed base that hugs a gravelly slope and a cantilevered upper level that stretches out towards the sea (+ slideshow). More about Beach House by Dualchas Architects stretches out towards the sea
Tasked with designing a house that doesn't take over its whole site, Swiss architect Christian von Düring created a timber-clad upper storey that straddles two smaller ground-level structures (+ slideshow). More about Christian von Düring completes a house designed to function like a bridge
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 about Casa 2V by BR3 Arquitetos features a bridge, a courtyard and a granite-topped staircase