This Canadian house by Patkau Architects is anchored to a rock by steel rods so that it treads lightly on the ground and cantilevers above the Pacific Ocean (+ slideshow). More about Tula House by Patkau Architects cantilevers over a remote outcrop
This Tokyo apartment block by Japanese firm Makoto Yamaguchi Design contains 12 open-air rooms behind its tiled exterior walls, helping to bring natural light and ventilation through the interior (+ slideshow). More about Makoto Yamaguchi adds ventilated "open rooms" to Oggi apartment block in Tokyo
Swivelling pods allow the owners of this house in Tehran to adapt to Iran's fluctuating temperatures by opening up rooms in summer, or turning them inwards during winter. More about Rotating rooms give Sharifi-ha House by Next Office a shape-shifting facade
This wedge-shaped cabin in the Czech Republic, by Prague studio FAM Architekti, has a folding screen set into one of its slatted timber facades to open the interior out to a nearby lake (+ slideshow). More about FAM Architekti's Lake Cabin provides a waterside retreat in a Czech forest
Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao specified rammed earth for the walls of this weekend house built for a modest budget on the shore of Lake Chapala, in the Mexican state of Jalisco (+ slideshow). More about Rammed earth walls with striated patterns frame Tatiana Bilbao's Ajijic House
Behind the dark facades of these farmhouse-inspired cabins in northern Italy, designed by local studio Pedevilla Architects, is a pair of bright homes that combine traditional elements with modern detailing (+ slideshow). More about Alpine cabins by Pedevilla Architekten build on traditions of Tyrolean farmhouses
Two angular skylights funnel daylight into a kitchen and dining area at the rear of this renovated house in Sydney by local office Carter Williamson Architects. More about Faceted ceilings direct sunlight into Sydney home by Carter Williamson Architects
Jonathan Tuckey Design has refurbished the interior of a semi-detached house in London and added a dining room extension with a latticed wooden ceiling (+ slideshow). More about Doyle Gardens extension by Jonathan Tuckey features a criss-crossing wooden ceiling
A cedar-clad balcony spans the facade of this house designed by Hyde + Hyde, which is perched on the edge of cliff on the southern Welsh shoreline (+ slideshow). More about Welsh seaside home by Hyde + Hyde sits on the edge of a cliff
Behind the clean white facade of this building in Shiga, Japan, is a cafe filled with wooden furniture and plants, and an apartment where clothing rails and shelves take the place of walls (+ slideshow). More about Clothing rails function as partitions inside apartment and cafe by Alts Design Office
Stepped planters flank the stairways that ascend through the atrium and over the roof of this concrete house in Singapore by Formwerkz Architects. More about Formwerkz Architects' Terrace House is covered with plants inside and out
Continuous wooden elements create treads in both upper and lower sections of this U-shaped staircase at a Mumbai apartment by Mexican studio Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop . More about Waves of wood form staircase at SDM Apartment by Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop
A staircase spirals like a helter skelter around the curving internal walls of this minimal white house in Tokyo by local office Atelier Norisada Maeda (+ slideshow). More about Atelier Norisada Maeda's Orange house features a curvy interior and a glass floor
Interior architecture firm Amos and Amos has completed two penthouse apartments in London, featuring furniture and accessories by British designers including Tom Dixon, Lee Broom and Bethan Gray (+ slideshow). More about Amos and Amos champions British design in penthouses at 21 Wapping Lane
This house in Oxford, England, by Waind Gohil Architects mirrors the style and shape of older terraced houses on its street, but features a pared-back design to distinguish it as a contemporary addition (+ slideshow). More about Waind Gohil Architects puts a contemporary spin on Oxford's gabled houses
Internal lighting glows through the perforated brick wall of this Melbourne home by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, which was designed as an abstraction of a typical Victorian-era residence (+ slideshow). More about Harold Street Residence by Jackson Clements Burrows disguises its size with a twisted roof
Perforated metal shutters give this Buenos Aires apartment building by Esteban-Tannenbaum Architects an ever-changing facade (+ slideshow). More about Perforated shutters fold back to reveal apartments at Sucre 4444 by Esteban-Tannenbaum
After 15 years of incremental work, architect Niall McLaughlin has restored and extended a London house with a subterranean gallery (+ slideshow). More about Niall McLaughlin extends Duncan Terrace house with translucent passageway and gallery
Dutch studio i29 has designed a minimal stainless-steel kitchen island for a classical Paris apartment (+ slideshow). More about Slim kitchen island installed at Home 10 by i29
UK architecture firm 5th Studio has added a shingle-clad extension to a house in a listed former inn that is raised above the flood level of the River Cam in Cambridgeshire (+ slideshow). More about Wildfowl Cottage extension by 5th Studio is clad with shingles and raised over a flood plain