Swivelling pods allow the owners of this house in Tehran to adapt to Iran's fluctuating temperatures by opening up rooms in summer, or turning them inwards during winter. More about Rotating rooms give Sharifi-ha House by Next Office a shape-shifting facade
This wedge-shaped cabin in the Czech Republic, by Prague studio FAM Architekti, has a folding screen set into one of its slatted timber facades to open the interior out to a nearby lake (+ slideshow). More about FAM Architekti's Lake Cabin provides a waterside retreat in a Czech forest
Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao specified rammed earth for the walls of this weekend house built for a modest budget on the shore of Lake Chapala, in the Mexican state of Jalisco (+ slideshow). More about Rammed earth walls with striated patterns frame Tatiana Bilbao's Ajijic House
Behind the dark facades of these farmhouse-inspired cabins in northern Italy, designed by local studio Pedevilla Architects, is a pair of bright homes that combine traditional elements with modern detailing (+ slideshow). More about Alpine cabins by Pedevilla Architekten build on traditions of Tyrolean farmhouses
Jonathan Tuckey Design has refurbished the interior of a semi-detached house in London and added a dining room extension with a latticed wooden ceiling (+ slideshow). More about Doyle Gardens extension by Jonathan Tuckey features a criss-crossing wooden ceiling
A cedar-clad balcony spans the facade of this house designed by Hyde + Hyde, which is perched on the edge of cliff on the southern Welsh shoreline (+ slideshow). More about Welsh seaside home by Hyde + Hyde sits on the edge of a cliff
Stepped planters flank the stairways that ascend through the atrium and over the roof of this concrete house in Singapore by Formwerkz Architects. More about Formwerkz Architects' Terrace House is covered with plants inside and out
A staircase spirals like a helter skelter around the curving internal walls of this minimal white house in Tokyo by local office Atelier Norisada Maeda (+ slideshow). More about Atelier Norisada Maeda's Orange house features a curvy interior and a glass floor
This house in Oxford, England, by Waind Gohil Architects mirrors the style and shape of older terraced houses on its street, but features a pared-back design to distinguish it as a contemporary addition (+ slideshow). More about Waind Gohil Architects puts a contemporary spin on Oxford's gabled houses
Internal lighting glows through the perforated brick wall of this Melbourne home by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, which was designed as an abstraction of a typical Victorian-era residence (+ slideshow). More about Harold Street Residence by Jackson Clements Burrows disguises its size with a twisted roof
After 15 years of incremental work, architect Niall McLaughlin has restored and extended a London house with a subterranean gallery (+ slideshow). More about Niall McLaughlin extends Duncan Terrace house with translucent passageway and gallery
Canadian studio Chevalier Morales Architectes has reinterpreted the traditional Swiss chalet to create a top-heavy timber house in the mountain landscape of eastern Quebec (+ slideshow). More about Canadian lodge by Chevalier Morales references Alpine chalets
Rammed earth walls built using soil from the desert site are wrapped in a protective weathered steel shell at this courtyard house near Phoenix by local firm Wendell Burnette Architects (+ slideshow). More about Desert Courtyard House by Wendell Burnette features rammed earth walls
Japanese firm Shinichi Ogawa & Associates added a glazed wall to the elongated facade of this house and gallery in Japan's Mie prefecture so the florist who owns it can look out into the forest (+ slideshow). More about Elongated gallery and house by Shinichi Ogawa creates a forest home for a florist
A circular sitting room in this Kuala Lumpur home by Malaysian architect Fabian Tan can be transformed into a sheltered outdoor terrace by sliding slatted timber walls along tracks in the floor and ceiling (+ slideshow). More about Sliding walls reveal a round living room at Fabian Tan's Voila House
This house extension in Melbourne by local studio Kennedy Nolan Architects is separated from the rest of the Edwardian property by a wall with a circular hole that children can climb through (+ slideshow). More about Punctured wall separates old from new at Westgarth House by Kennedy Nolan
Irish firm Donal Colfer Architects has renovated a Victorian terraced house in Dublin, adding an extension with a glazed ground floor and concrete mullions above (+ slideshow). More about Donal Colfer Architects adds concrete and glass extension to Dublin residence
Japanese studio K2YT has slotted courtyard gardens around the staircases and between the rooms of this four-storey house in Tokyo (+ slideshow). More about Gardens are interspersed with rooms inside House-K by K2YT
Brazilian firm Studio Arthur Casas was invited to choose the location for a client's idyllic Rio de Janeiro residence, and selected a hillside plot facing out towards the ocean (+ slideshow). More about Casa AL by Studio Arthur Casas sits between a mountain and the ocean
Argentinian office Estudio Aire rested concrete volumes on top of each other to create a shaded overhang at the entrance to this house for an artist (+ slideshow). More about Stacked concrete volumes frame entrance to House M by Estudio Aire