Canadian studio Naturehumaine inserted a glass floor and skylight to draw sunlight through the interior of this two-storey house in Montreal, and reintroduced wooden boards to make a feature of the staircase. More about Montreal house by Naturehumaine features a glass floor with a skylight overhead
A sequence of vaulted ceilings and arched openings sets up layered vistas through the interior of this beach house in Southern California by Los Angeles firm Johnston Marklee (+ slideshow). More about Johnston Marklee's Vault House frames beach views through multiple arches
Hinged panels discretely integrated into the facade of this house in Parede, Portugal, by Lisbon architect Humberto Conde protect the property when the owners are away. (+ slideshow). More about Hinged shutters camouflage with facade of Humberto Conde's Portugal townhouse
The three-layered facade of this riverside house in Tsukubamirai, Japan, was intended by local studio Kichi Architectural Design to reference rippling water (+ slideshow). More about Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design
Perched on a clifftop along the Chilean shoreline, this idyllic residence by architecture studio L2C forms part of a self-sustaining community that produces its own energy and water, and deals with its own waste (+ slideshow). More about Tunquen House by L2C sits high above the Chilean coastline
This house near Madrid was designed by local firm Bojaus Arquitectura as a simple white cuboid punctuated by openings that create windows, porches and patios (+ slideshow). More about Square holes puncture all five sides of Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura
Trios of windows and a new lightwell help to bring daylight through the clean white interiors of this renovated townhouse in Porto by local studio Pablo Pita Architects (photos by José Campos + slideshow). More about Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse
A geometric pattern of skylights frames views of the sky from inside this angular white residence in Tokyo by Japanese firm Atelier Tekuto (+ slideshow). More about Atelier Tekuto creates an angular house with a pattern of pointy skylights
Australian office Tribe Studio has hollowed out the centre of a 1920s house in Sydney to create angular ceilings and a wide entrance to the garden (+ slideshow). More about Hollowed-out house in Sydney by Tribe Studio
A high-end hair salon and family home are separated by a courtyard planted with a single tree in this building designed by Tokyo firm Apollo Architects & Associates in the Japanese city of Hamamatsu (+ slideshow). More about House with a hair salon hidden at the back by Apollo Architects & Associates
The entire facade of this house in the Japanese town of Ōiso by Atelier HAKO Architects is clad in fibre-reinforced cement boards and punctuated by a series of scattered windows (+ slideshow). More about House in Ōiso with walls covered in roofing material by Atelier HAKO Architects
Some of the concrete walls of this house in Yokohama, Japan, by Tai and Associates were formed against wooden planks, while some have been rendered white and others have been left plain (+ slideshow). More about House in Shinoharadai by Tai and Associates
Portuguese studio DNSJ.arq has completed a cluster of three white houses on the outskirts of a small town in southern Portugal (+ slideshow). More about Three houses in Meco by DNSJ.arq
A raw concrete interior is contained behind the white limestone facade of this townhouse in Lisbon by ARX Portugal (+ slideshow). More about Townhouse in Lisbon by ARX Portugal
Spanish firm YLAB Arquitectos has completed a faceted house on the outskirts of Barcelona that appears to have been stretched down a hill. More about Vallvidrera House by YLAB Arquitectos
This small white building on the edge of the Danube River in Vienna was designed by Austrian studio Share Architects for use as a holiday home or party venue. More about Bathing Hut by Share Architects
French architecture studio RAUM has arranged a cluster of holiday apartments in Brittany around terraces that are connected by small alleys (+ slideshows). More about Two Houses and Two Studios by RAUM
Angular cutaways create apertures through the walls, floors and ceilings of this house in the Bousou Peninsula mountains of Japan by architect Yuusuke Karasawa (+ slideshow). More about Villa Kanousan by Yuusuke Karasawa
Our second recent story from Japanese architects Studio Velocity is a house shaped like a fairytale tower with five different staircases connecting its two floors (+ slideshow). More about House in Chiharada by Studio Velocity
This bright white house in Toyokawa, Japan, was designed by architects Studio Velocity with a squashed diamond shape to maximise space without overlooking the neighbours (+ slideshow). More about Forest House in the City by Studio Velocity