An enormous frame surrounds a little window in the reconstructed stone wall that flanks this holiday home in northern Italy by architects bergmeisterwolf (+ slideshow). More about Farmstead Next to the Chapel by bergmeisterwolf
Architect John Lin has adapted the traditional style of a rural Chinese courtyard residence to create a village house that is entirely self-sufficient (+ slideshow). More about House For All Seasons by John Lin
These London townhouses by architects Piercy & Company have chunky banisters formed from thickly layered birch plywood. More about Wakefield Street Townhouses by Piercy & Company
Belgian studio EXAR Architecture have replaced walls of brick and plaster with glass and Corten steel on this extension to a suburban house outside Brussels. More about Campanules by EXAR Architecture
The timber-framed rooms of this house in Osaka prefacture by Japanese architects Suga Atelier are on show to the street though a transparent facade. More about House of Cedar by Suga Atelier
Architects Colboc Franzen & Associés have masked the facade and balconies of three apartment blocks in the south of France behind curved galvanised-steel grids. More about Housing in Sète by Colboc Franzen & Associés
Hoxton architects Edgley Design have tucked a rubber-clad residence and aluminium artist's studio behind a row of semi-detached houses in Hackney. More about Amhurst Road by Edgley Design
Steps connecting the gradually rising floors of this Paris house by Moussafir Architectes can be glimpsed through the cut-out shutters on its glazed facade (+ slideshow). More about Maison Escalier by Moussafir Architectes
This hillside house by Japanese studio Tato Architects comprises a metal barn on top of a glass box (+ slideshow). More about House in Rokko by Tato Architects
This house by Japanese firm Naya Architects is so closely surrounded by apartment blocks that its walls have to lean away from them. More about House in Motoyawata by Naya Architects
The walls of this house in Sydney by Australian studio Chris Elliott Architects feature curved openings that look like gills. More about Seacliff House by Chris Elliott Architects
Rectilinear blocks of glass and concrete overlap one another at this house in Mexico City by architect Fernanda Canales (+ slideshow). More about Maruma House by Fernanda Canales
The floors of this house by Tokyo studio HUG are connected by the steps of a courtyard that climbs over a roof (+ slideshow). More about Terrace Step House by HUG
Japanese architect Takato Tamagami has completed two homes in Tokyo that are tangled around each other. More about N-House by Takato Tamagami
Slideshow: a mysterious orange door on a suburban São Paulo street leads to a dream house and gardens designed by architect Isay Weinfeld. More about Casa Grecia by Isay Weinfeld
Millions of tiny perforations are dotted across the rusted steel walls of this rural retreat in Victoria by Melbourne architects Inarc. More about Red House at Red Hill by Inarc
Israeli architect Moshe Safdie has designed a skyscraper for Sri Lanka comprising one tower slumped against another. More about Colombo Residential Development by Moshe Safdie
The top of this Australian house by architect Michael Ong of MODO is a timber box that sits at an angle on top of the ground floor walls. More about HANS-house by MODO
Next up in our coverage of London 2012 Olympic design is a 135-metre skyscraper by architects SOM full of apartments overlooking the Olympic park. More about Manhattan Loft Gardens by SOM
This family house by architect Naoko Horibe features a traditional Japanese-style room with tatami mats inside a protruding, timber-clad mezzanine. More about House in Kyobate by Naoko Horibe