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
An old farmhouse in France's picturesque Loire Valley has been converted into a summer retreat by Paris architects Septembre (+ slideshow). More about Septembre converts old French farmhouse into holiday home
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
Taiwan studio Tai & Architectural Design kept this apartment in Taipei "as minimal as possible" so it can be easily reverted to its original state (+ slideshow). More about Tai & Architectural Design keeps it simple for Taipei apartment interior
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 angular concrete hideaway by Australian studio Welsh + Major sits amongst the trees in the garden of a late-Victorian house in inner-city Sydney (+ slideshow). More about Concrete den by Welsh + Major nestles in a Sydney garden
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
Briefed to design a holiday home that feels like a campsite, Australian studio Dunn & Hillam Architects has completed a residence in New South Wales based on the old "dogtrot houses" of the American deep south (+ slideshow). More about Dunn & Hillam's Dogtrot House centres around an open-air corridor
Japanese studio MAMM Design has lowered the kitchen of this apartment in Amsterdam to fit a mezzanine under the steep roof of an 85-year-old housing block (+ slideshow). More about Apartment in Amsterdam by MAMM Design features a sunken kitchen
This Montreal student housing block by Kanva is clad with concrete panels that are engraved with historic pictures of the site (+ slideshow). More about Edison Residence student housing by Kanva is clad with engraved concrete panels
French studio CUT Architectures have used a steel grid structure to create shelving, seating areas, a kitchen and a climbing frame for this apartment renovation in Paris' 6th arrondissement (+ slideshow). More about Steel structure provides storage and seating at Apartment in the 6th by CUT Architectures
Two clients joined forces to commission one building with two separate homes by Buenos Aires studio Hitzig Militello Arquitectos, which has been coloured grey to contrast with its neighbours (+ slideshow). More about Hitzig Militello Arquitectos combines two homes in one building in Buenos Aires
Fibre-cement tiles have been used to create a latticed surface on the facade and roof of this house by Belgian studio NU Architectuuratelier (+ slideshow). More about Fibre-cement tiles create a latticed facade for Leeuw House by NU Architectuuratelier
Five cliff-top buildings feature walls that fold in on themselves to frame views and offer privacy in this South Korean holiday resort by Atelier Chang (+ slideshow). More about Atelier Chang designs angular cliff-top buildings for Knot House resort
Four red cedar-clad boxes are positioned to form courtyards and gardens in-between the living spaces at this house in a Tokyo suburb by Japanese studio Architect Cafe (+ slideshow). More about Offset timber volumes create courtyards at House in Komae by Architect Cafe
Japanese studio Sugawaradaisuke mixed powdered iron with plaster to give this Tokyo house a rusted exterior that will weather over time (+ slideshow). More about Transustainable House by Sugawaradaisuke features a rusted facade to reflect the climate