This house in Osaka by Japanese studio Coo Planning hides a warm plywood interior behind an austere black facade (+ slideshow). More about Black house in Osaka by Coo Planning features a basic plywood interior
Skylights at the apex of a sloping roof project light onto the brick internal walls of this extension to a bungalow in Sydney, by local studio Andrew Burges Architects (+ slideshow) More about High-level windows funnel daylight into Skylight House extension by Andrew Burges
Arched windows stretch across the brick walls of this three-pronged house by Belgian architect Dieter De Vos, in a municipality just outside Ghent (+ slideshow). More about Three-pronged Villa Moerkensheide frames a trio of garden terraces
Snøhetta has revived an old wooden boathouse on a Norwegian island to create a dormitory for children visiting an annual summer camp (+ slideshow). More about Snøhetta's revamped Hudøy boathouse offers shelter to summer campers
A mezzanine hammock, an adaptable seating cube on wheels, and a combined staircase and bookshelf have been added to this play and study space for a brother and sister, designed by Russian studio Ruetemple (+ slideshow). More about Mobile furniture and giant hammocks allow work and play inside a Russian home
The wild rural landscape extends up over the roof of this riverside house in Suffolk, England, which was designed by British firm Soup Architects with walls built from handmade bricks (+ movie). More about Broombank house by Soup Architects planned as "two white sugar cubes" floating over a meadow
This house in Spain by Swiss architect Gus Wüstemann features a largely windowless exterior, but an internal courtyard surrounded by perforated walls ensures that light permeates the building all year round (+ slideshow). More about Perforated walls bring light into the heart of Gus Wüstemann's Los Limoneros house
Tilting and folding timber screens cover sections of this house by Buenos Aires studio VDV ARQ, to provide privacy and shade for the occupants without blocking light and views (+ slideshow). More about Timber screens bring fresh air into Pedro House without compromising privacy
There are two layers to this residence in Tokushima, Japan – the first is a living room that looks like a miniature house, while the second is a perimeter wall that encloses extra rooms and patios (+ slideshow). More about Multi-layered home by Y+M Design Office hides a house-shaped room behind wooden walls
Canadian architecture office Atelier Pierre Thibault has completed a lakeside house in a forest near Quebec, which is raised above its hillside site on thin metal stilts (+ slideshow). More about Atelier Pierre Thibault's Le Grand Plateau house is raised on stilts above a forest floor
This long and narrow brick house outside Budapest, by Foldes Architects, integrates a 17-metre-long library wall that accommodates the owners' expansive book collection (+ slideshow). More about Long Brick House by Foldes Architects accommodates a 17-metre-long bookshelf
Belgian firm ADN Architectures gave this wooden house extension in Brussels a V-shaped roofline that inverts the pointed gables of the existing property (+ slideshow). More about ADN Architectures adds V-shaped extension to Brussels bungalow
Swedish architect Tommy Carlsson has completed an affordable prefabricated home near Stockholm that is clad in corrugated iron and resembles a cube with some of its corners cut off (+ slideshow). More about Happy Cheap house by Tommy Carlsson is a prototype for low-cost prefab homes
Canadian architect Alain Carle added cedar panelling to selected parts of this black-painted brick house in Quebec, highlighting terraces, window reveals and entrances (+ slideshow). More about Sprawling Quebec house by Alain Carle contrasts black brick with warm cedar
Norwegian studio Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Arkitekter created the self-service Rabot Cabin for hikers in Norway's Okstindan mountain range (+ slideshow). More about Remote mountain site hosts hikers' cabin by Jarmund/Vigsnæs Arkitekter
Japanese firm Suppose Design Office has replaced the roof of a 35-year-old family house, creating a lofty new living room that opens to the garden at both ends (+ slideshow). More about Suppose Design Office adds double-height dining room to House in Chiba
Boyarsky Murphy Architects sandwiched this glass-fronted family residence between two terraced houses in west London, on a site less than three metres wide at the front. More about Sliver House by Boyarsky Murphy Architects slots into a three-metre-wide space
Feature: narrow homes have become increasingly popular in Japan, but can these awkwardly shaped residences offer housing solutions to other cities around the world, asks Dezeen deputy editor Amy Frearson. More about Skinny houses: "it's amazing how important one inch of space becomes"
A sheltered outdoor cooking area commonly found in traditional Japanese farmhouses is reinterpreted to form the open-air centre of this family house in Kanagawa by Japanese architect Yoshiyasu Mizuno (+ slideshow). More about Delta House by Yoshiyasu Mizuno centres around a triangular courtyard
This London house extension by Tigg Coll Architects features sliding glass doors that retract into the brick walls to open the space up to the garden (+ slideshow). More about Glazing disappears into the walls of Tigg Coll's Malbrook Road extension