This house in Spain by architect Ramón Esteve is fronted by solid stone walls, behind which rooms are organised around a swimming pool and terrace (+ movie). More about Casa El Bosque is a house flanked by stone walls on the edge of a Spanish forest
After almost five years in the making, architecture studio FAT and artist Grayson Perry have completed their fairytale-inspired Essex holiday home, which was designed as a shrine to the fictional character Julie Cope (+ slideshow). More about Grayson Perry and FAT reveal the elaborate interiors of their House for Essex
This house in Tokyo was constructed using an industrially manufactured steel framework and cladding, making it look more like a factory than a residence (+ slideshow). More about Niji Architects uses steel components to build factory-like Boundary House
A drystone wall frames the glazed pavilions that make up this family summer house, which is perched on a hilltop on the southern tip of Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula (+ slideshow). More about Rugged drystone wall frames Whitehall Road Residence by B.E. Architecture
A glazed corridor connects the four house-shaped buildings that make up this holiday home on the outskirts of Porto, designed by young Portuguese studio PROD (+ slideshow). More about PROD's House of Four Houses comprises a family of interlinked buildings
Solar panels cover the rooftops of these four townhouses in Boston by local firm ISA, allowing them to sustainably produce more energy and hot water than their occupants are likely to use (+ slideshow). More about Roxbury E+ townhouses in Boston designed to produce more energy than they use
Nestled into a grove of mature trees in the Tennessee countryside, this timber-framed farmhouse features a sheltered swimming pool and a large porch where residents can look out over gently rolling fields (+ slideshow). More about Old Briar is a Tennessee farmhouse for a family relocating from Chicago
Tato Architects has replaced all of the walls inside a traditional Japanese house with curving plywood screens (+ slideshow). More about Tato Architects updates a traditional Japanese house with a curved plywood interior
Terracotta tiles, balcony corridors and a secluded courtyard all feature at this renovated Spanish home, for which Barcelona studio Arquitectura-G has been awarded the European Union's Emerging Architect prize (+ slideshow). More about Arquitectura-G's Casa Luz features terracotta surfaces and a glazed courtyard
This holiday home near the northern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, features a balcony-like room that allows residents to enjoy the scenic surroundings all year round (+ slideshow). More about Hammer Architects completes a cabin retreat in the Cape Cod woodland
This wedge-shaped cabin, installed by architect Todd Saunders in the garden of a Norwegian home, appears to have had a chunk cut away from its middle to create a garden terrace (+ slideshow). More about Tiny wedge-shaped cabin by Todd Saunders has a terrace puncturing its middle
Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati added concrete fins to the walls of this house in rural Portugal, which splay outwards and inwards like the flaps of an open box to provide shade for a garden within (+ slideshow). More about Splayed concrete walls give Valerio Olgiati's Villa Além the appearance of an open box
This extension to a home in Kortrijk, Belgium, was added by local architect Steven Vandenborre to wrap around the property's outdoor swimming pool (+ slideshow). More about Concrete and glass extension to Belgian house shelters a poolside patio
This compact brick house in north London by local office Satish Jassal Architects is squeezed onto a small plot at the end of a Victorian terrace, which influenced the use of materials and the facade arrangement (+ slideshow). More about Small London home by Satish Jassal Architects is clad in brick both inside and out
Sydney office Aileen Sage Architects designed this house for one of its partners around a "secret garden" containing a circular patio for outdoor dining (+ slideshow). More about Textured brick and concrete house in Sydney encloses a garden courtyard
The faceted metal surfaces of this addition to a dairy farmer's house in the Japanese city of Sodegaura fold around a courtyard that connects it with the original building (+ slideshow). More about Architects Teehouse adds an angular steel-clad home to a Japanese dairy farm
Tall brick chimney stacks and half gable profiles characterise these east London bungalows by Patel Taylor that are designed to house the area's retired residents (+ slideshow). More about Brick bungalows provide social housing for elderly residents in east London
Sections of perforated brickwork set into the walls of this Bangkok residence by local architect Jun Sekino allow light to filter into terraces while screening residents from the street (+ slideshow). More about Brick grates set into the walls of a Bangkok house hide a series of outdoor spaces
The four blocks that make up this house in Japan all feature different kinds of windows, designed by architect Kazuki Moroe to offer varying perspectives of a neighbouring Shinto shrine (+ slideshow). More about House in Japan designed by Kazuki Moroe to respect the shrine next door
The blackened timber home of Bergen-based architect Todd Saunders is lifted above the ground on two podiums, sheltering a patch of garden and a swing set beneath the living room (+ slideshow). More about Todd Saunders' self-designed home is raised on stilts to cover outdoor areas