Glass walls and simple furnishings are paired with pale surfaces to give this Bloomsbury renovation by London studio Stiff + Trevillion a minimal aesthetic (+ slideshow). More about Stiff + Trevillion updates Bloomsbury mews house with gridded glazing and double-height bookcase
This house in Princeton, New Jersey by New York studio Levenbetts is organised around a courtyard, offering views of a private garden as well as out to the surrounding woodland (+ slideshow). More about Courtyard house by Levenbetts embraces its wooded landscape in Princeton
This house in France's Massif Central region features a lower storey inserted into a disused sand mine and a glazed upper storey offering views of the surrounding volcanic landscape (photos by Zooey Braun + slideshow). More about Werner Sobek's Y1 House comprises two stacked blocks on top of a former sand mine
A brick wall conceals the majority of this two-storey house that Phillips Tracey Architects has slotted between a pair of heritage-listed buildings in south London (+ slideshow). More about Phillips Tracey replaces a derelict London dental surgery with a simple brick house
Sculptor Benjamin Gilbert worked with architecture studio Archier to build his own family house on a former gold mine and sawmill, using reclaimed concrete blocks and rough-sawn macrocarpa wood (+ slideshow). More about Sawmill House is a reclaimed-concrete home for a sculptor on an old Australian gold mine
Tamir Addadi Architecture has converted the loft of a north London house, adding a staircase that also serves as a spacious bookcase (+ slideshow). More about Staircase doubles as a bookcase in London loft conversion by Tamir Addadi Architecture
Japanese architects Kunihiko Matsuba and Seitaro Aso have renovated an apartment in Tokyo, pairing exposed structural elements with contemporary details (+ slideshow). More about Saito House in Tokyo features herringbone flooring and an exposed wooden structure
Traditional fortified farm buildings informed the design of this house in rural Italy by Massimo Iosa Ghini, which is bordered by pergolas with olive trees growing through their timber structures (+ slideshow). More about Massimo Iosa Ghini references historic Italian architecture for holiday home in Puglia
MW Architects added a large corner window and a section of floor-to-ceiling glazing to this pair of London house extensions, to make the occupants feel like they work and shower in the garden (+ slideshow). More about Shed-like house extensions by MW Architects maximise views into a verdant garden
This Mexico City residence by DCPP Arquitectos features pivoting doors and sliding glass walls, allowing rooms to open out to the cobbled and herringbone-brickwork courtyards around its perimeter (+ slideshow). More about DCPP Arquitectos fits Mexico City residence around a network of courtyard gardens
Scenario Architecture has completed an extension to an east London residence, featuring blackened wood cladding that references Japanese architecture, and a dedicated walkway for cats (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber extension by Scenario Architecture features a high walkway for cats
The eighth movie in our exclusive series profiling buildings by MVRDV looks at Frosilo – a pair of converted seed silos in Copenhagen that now contain some of the neighbourhood's most sought-after apartments (+ movie). More about Frosilo apartments offer a "great combination of old and new" says MVRDV's Jacob van Rijs
Shigeru Ban has unveiled his designs for modular housing structures to accommodate those made homeless by the two devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal earlier this year. More about Shigeru Ban designs modular shelters for Nepal earthquake victims
Influenced by Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, this sculptural concrete residence by Santiago studio Gubbins Arquitectos perches on the craggy cliffs of the Chilean coastline (+ slideshow). More about Victor Gubbins pays tribute to Le Corbusier with concrete beach house on the Chilean coast
A large roof overhangs the walls of this simple wooden house on Japan's Kanto Plain, offering residents shade during hot weather and shelter from rain showers (+ slideshow). More about Nobuo Araki creates simple house with overhanging eaves on Japan's largest plain
Bureau de Change Architects gave this north London house extension a pleated ceiling to create the illusion it has been squashed onto the rear of the brick terraced property (+ slideshow). More about London extension by Bureau de Change Architects zigzags like a row of gabled houses
Pomo summer: when American architect Robert Venturi designed a home for his mother in the late 1950s, he reinterpreted the archetypal suburban house as a contemporary architectural statement. Its influence was so great, it is now credited as the first Postmodern building, and is the next in our summer season on Postmodernism. More about Postmodern architecture: Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia by Robert Venturi
NEXT Architects chose both ribbed terracotta and smooth granite to clad the buildings of this housing development in China, which are stacked to maximise views over a nearby river and mountains (+ slideshow). More about NEXT Architects uses terracotta and granite for housing complex on China's Min River
Square windows puncture the timber facade of this townhouse in Ghent, Belgium, which has been recently refurbished and widened to make room for three new flats (+ slideshow). More about FELT slots three new homes into an old Ghent townhouse and reclads it with strips of wood
Arched doorways and shuttered windows give this Japanese residence by Takushu Arai the appearance of an oversized playhouse (+ slideshow). More about Arched openings cut through walls of Takushu Arai's steel-plated house in Yokohama