Concrete block and fibre-cement boards are among the materials used by American firm In Situ Studio to create this hillside home for a retired couple living in North Carolina. More
The Black House by German architect studio Buero Wagner is a stack of differently sized rooms clad in blackened wood extending a house close to Lake Ammersee in Munich. More
Canadian firm ACDF Architecture has designed a lake house on a sloping site in Quebec, with a protruding terrace so residents can get even closer to the water's edge. More
Window walls surround all sides of Glass Villa in the Lake, a three-storey house built by Dutch studio Mecanoo in the Cotswolds. More
The zigzag profile of this Canadian lake house allows natural light to enter deep into living spaces from skylights, while helping orient solar panels to maximise their efficiency. More
The owners of this Lithuanian holiday cottage can open large shutters incorporated into the timber-clad facades to transform the completely closed gabled volume into a bright space with views toward a nearby lake. More
Chilean studio Apio Arquitectos has used wooden barns as a reference for this nature retreat, with pitched roofs and facades wrapped in grey metal and pine. More
Canadian studio MU Architecture has integrated a lake house into a steep site in southern Quebec, overlooking a secluded bay and private boathouse. More
US firm Andersson-Wise has created a tall silvery building containing bedrooms near a waterside holiday home in Austin, so that the owners can invite more guests to stay. More
American studio Andersson-Wise has completed a two-storey boathouse in Austin, with openings on the upper level that enable occupants to dive directly into the water. More
New York firm Desai Chia Architects has built a home on Lake Michigan with blackened timber walls and a roof that extends out to shelter an outdoor seating area. More
Architecture studio Bergmeisterwolf has completed an extension to a house on the shores of Italy's Lake Garda, featuring glazed walls that disappear into the ground to open the living area up to the garden. More
To satisfy the conflicting tastes of a husband and wife, New York-based architect Marica McKeel merged contemporary and traditional styles in this spacious South Carolina residence. More
Atelier Pierre Thibault split this lakeside home in Canada into two volumes that face on to a small courtyard in between. More
Inbetween Architecture has renovated and extended a dated brown-brick property in Melbourne's Doncaster suburb to improve the quality of its living spaces and capture views of nearby Ruffey Lake. More
American firm Ward + Blake Architects has completed a residence and guest house in western Wyoming, which features rustic materials and sweeping views of the surrounding mountains (+ slideshow). More
Swiss architect Philippe Meyer has converted a former office building on the shore of Lake Geneva into a house with glass walls to provide expansive views of the surrounding scenery (+ slideshow). More
MNy Arkitekter has used seven varieties of timber to create this gabled house on the shoreline of a small lake in Tenala, Finland (+ slideshow). More
Board-marked concrete walls frame this Buenos Aires residence by Argentinian architect Federico Sartor, but at the back they give way to large windows, offering views of a courtyard and lake (+ slideshow). More
To gain views of Lake Erie from a sheltered plot, architecture firm Kariouk Associates designed this Canadian house to include a "love nest" that pokes above the treetops (+ slideshow). More