Despite being surrounded by electricity pylons, this hillside cabin in Japan by San Francisco firm Anderson Anderson Architecture generates all its own energy and heating using photovoltaic panels and a ground-sourced heat pump (+ slideshow). More about B House in Shimasaki by Anderson Anderson Architecture
Three sandstone wings protect an inner courtyard from fierce coastal winds at this seaside house in Ireland by Tierney Haines Architects. More about House in Blacksod Bay by Tierney Haines Architects
Portuguese architect Miguel Marcelino has completed a rural family house with red concrete walls and three separate terraces. More about Three Courtyards House by Miguel Marcelino
Panoramic Pacific views can be enjoyed from terraces created by the tiered levels of this hillside house in Chile by architects Elton + Léniz (+ slideshow). More about Casa El Pangue by Elton + Léniz
This courtyard house in the south-west of England by architects Studio Octopi integrates flush thresholds and wide doorways as subtly as possible, so that no one would notice it was specifically designed for a resident in a wheelchair (+ slideshow). More about Orchard House by Studio Octopi
This earthquake-proof house on a hillside in western Chile by architects Pezo von Ellrichshausen has six rooms with glass walls (+ photos by Cristobal Palma). More about Casa Arco by Pezo von Ellrichshausen
The trend for extreme cantilevers continues with this house in Croatia by architect Idis Turato, where one floor dramatically overhangs the other. More about Nest and Cave House by Idis Turato
This bright-white house in Alicante by Spanish studio Fran Silvestre Arquitectos features an 18-metre-long balcony that stretches out towards the Balearic Sea (+ slideshow + movie). More about House on the Cliff by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos
Daylight funnels into this dark concrete house in Japan through two narrow light wells in the roof. More about Ryusenji House by Tomoaki Uno Architects
This house by architects Destilat appears to climb down a hill at the foot of the Pöstlingberg mountain in Austria. More about House Y2 by Destilat
The residential buildings of Paris appear to be sailing through the sky like kites in these dream-like images created by French photographer Laurent Chéhère (+ slideshow). More about Flying Houses by Laurent Chéhère
Courtyards punch through the walls and roof of this bungalow that Japanese studio Kazuya Saito Architects designed for an elderly couple in Sendai (+ slideshow). More about House Yagiyama by Kazuya Saito Architects
This ridged limestone house by Athens studio decaArchitecture faces out over the edge of a cliff on the Greek island of Milos (+ slideshow). More about VNC House in Milos by decaArchitecture
The top floor rooms of this house in Japan by Tato Architects are contained inside sheds that sit on the roof (+ slideshow). More about House in Yamasaki by Tato Architects
Travellers visting the Mexican town of Tepoztlan can spend a few nights, months or even years at this three-armed concrete guesthouse by architects Cadaval & Sola-Morales (+ slideshow). More about Tepoztlan Lounge by Cadaval & Sola-Morales
This home on a golf course complex in Belas on the outskirts of Lisbon consists of five smaller houses connected by interior passages.(+ slideshow) More about House in Belas by CHP Arquitectos
Our second story this week about Japanese architects no.555 features a low-budget house inspired by animals' nests beside a rice field in Matsumoto (+ slideshow). More about MYZ Nest by no.555
This narrow townhouse in Lisbon has bushy plants all over its body and a swimming pool on its roof. More about House in Lisbon by Luís and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade and Manuel Cachão Tojal
A home and studio for a photographer are contained inside this Corten steel bunker that Undercurrent Architects has squeezed beside and beneath the arch of a railway viaduct in south London. More about Archway Studios by Undercurrent Architects
The only windows at this concrete house in Moreira, Portugal, face one another across recessed patios. More about House in Moreira by Phyd Arquitectura