Thick, galvanised-steel frames highlight a selection of windows on the concrete facade of this apartment block in Tokyo designed by Japanese studios Sasaki Architecture and Atelier O (+ slideshow). More about Modelia Days apartment block in Tokyo features concrete walls and steel box windows
An oversized dormer window extends from the asymmetric roof of this house designed by architects Hiroki Tominaga and Yae Fujima for an elderly couple in Japan's Gifu Prefecture (+ slideshow). More about Hiroki Tominaga Atelier completes Japanese retirement home featuring a huge dormer window
US firm In Situ Studio has clad this rural North Carolina cabin in darkened wood and set it far back from the road to protect it from view (+ slideshow). More about In Situ Studio hides black Corbett Residence in a North Carolina forest
Timber slats cover the walls and the windows of this house in Isfahan, Iran, allowing light to filter in without compromising the privacy of its occupants (+ slideshow). More about Inward-facing Iranian home lets light filter in through a facade of wooden slats
The facade of this house in the Spanish town of Novelda is divided into three sections that are each angled to make the most of the available views and sunlight (+ slideshow). More about La Errería designs a facade that angles in and out for House F&M in Spain
Expansive glazed surfaces are sandwiched between simple concrete volumes to form the minimal facades of this house in Melbourne by Davidov Partners Architects (+ slideshow). More about Davidov Partners completes concrete and glass house for empty nesters in Melbourne
Circular openings form entrances and windows for this housing development in the Spanish town of Conil de la Frontera, designed by Granada studio Kauh (+ slideshow). More about Kauh completes housing complex in Spain with large circular openings in the walls
Brazilian firm Studio Colnaghi Arquitetura has completed a house in Xangrilá, Brazil, featuring a concrete-framed games room that projects out over a poolside terrace (+ slideshow). More about Angular concrete slabs frame Brazilian house Casa Bosques
Milwaukee firm The Kubala Washatko Architects has renovated a Frank Lloyd Wright house near the city, adding a pool house that was informed by the home's original site plan (+ slideshow). More about TKWA restores and extends 1940s Frank Lloyd Wright home in Wisconsin
Brooklyn's Bushwick neighbourhood is set to receive a vast housing development designed as a "European village" by architecture firm ODA New York (+ slideshow). More about ODA's Rheingold Project housing to take up two full city blocks in Brooklyn
Spanish studio PYO Arquitectos has removed some of the internal walls in a Madrid flat to make it less segregated and bring in more light (+ slideshow). More about Pyo Arquitectos simplify interior of Casa MA apartment in Madrid
The 20 houses vying for this year's RIBA House of the Year award have been announced, including a forest home for a pair of artists, a London residence covered in mirrors and a cluster of cabins in Dungeness (+ slideshow). More about Britain's best new houses revealed in RIBA House of the Year 2016 award longlist
Studio David Thulstrup has turned a former factory building in Copenhagen into a house for a photographer, featuring a plant-filled atrium and walls of brick, wood and steel (+ slideshow). More about Studio David Thulstrup transforms Copenhagen warehouse into home for a photographer
Students in a design-build program at the Southern California Institute of Architecture have completed a house in a crime-ridden area of Los Angeles, with features included to help occupants feel "safe and secure" (+ slideshow). More about SCI-Arc students build affordable home in low-income Los Angeles neighbourhood
Our second roundup of houses from different US states focuses on Massachusetts, where some of the best homes we've featured include a sculptural weekend retreat (pictured) and a translucent plastic building with giant shutters on wheels (+ slideshow). More about Five of the best houses in Massachusetts on Dezeen
Iranian studio Next Office has completed a house in Tehran that splits in the middle to create two curvy wings (+ slideshow). More about Next Office builds curvy Tehran house that splits in the middle
Johnsen Schmaling Architects has created a family dwelling in rural Montana that consists of interlocking volumes clad in charred wood and is topped with a glass-enclosed viewing room. More about Glass observatory rises from roof of Montana mountain home by Johnsen Schmaling
Architecture studio Project Orange has reinterpreted the traditional London mews to create a row of contemporary brick studio buildings with residences on top (+ slideshow). More about Project Orange slots mews-inspired development behind a row of west London shops
Sliding barn-style doors inside this pared-back studio space and guesthouse by Seattle-based SHED Architecture and Design hint at the building's past life as a horse stable (+ slideshow). More about SHED transforms Washington horse stable into art studio and living quarters
Architecture studio Edwards Moore has converted a small Melbourne apartment into a Airbnb-style rental property, where guests are invited to buy the furniture, art and accessories when they leave. More about Guests can buy the furniture inside Melbourne flat renovated by Edwards Moore