Orient lamp by Jo Hammerborg at Lightyears.

Ryall Porter Sheridan Architects designed this artist's studio in Orient, New York, on the North Fork of Long Island, to conform to Passive House standards. It is a finalist in the office and special-use buildings category.

The ten homes orient around a common courtyard.

Inside, the coop is lined with oriented strand board (OSB) and fitted with cans of food and water. Though Snyder designed a large door so he and Martin can access the inside of the coop to clean it, he forgot that to get to the door, they'd have to crawl through the chickens' run. "That's the one think I would have changed," he says. "We're both pretty short but we still have to crouch down to get through."

Our tours were oriented around a terrific set of signs—thirty in all.

Windows were carefully oriented to capture views of the landscape.

The commission was for a robust and efficient little cabin oriented towards the lake.

Back into the forest, the Pool House is oriented for panoramic views of the valley floor.

In the dining/kitchen area there are cabinets and floors made of oriented strand board (OSB) and a cherry dining table fabricated by Joe Cooper to the architects’ design.

The lower-level master bath matches horizontally oriented stone with wood cabinets and drawers made from on-site trees.

Simple solid and void carvings create a purposefully oriented and constructed complex of volumes that pull the user out to nature and in to repose.

A 100-mile drive from the Big Apple, the 15-acre property in Orient, New York, serves as a vacation retreat and refuge for a Brooklyn couple.

Reading and working spaces have been oriented toward an inner courtyard. A new subterranean passageway connects the transformed farmhouse with the enlarged barn.

The underside of the vertically-oriented Caldwell Auditorium, built like a high-tech black box theatre.

"The bedrooms are completely separate from one another, filled with light, and oriented towards beautiful views of the surrounding context and downtown Raleigh," note the architects.

In the Orient, New York, home of Keith Scott Morton and Christine Churchill, a double-height living/dining area hugs the broadly glazed west elevation.

This revamped Montreal flat includes a rooftop sauna lined with torrified, or dried, cedar. Outfitted with glass paneling and oriented to capture views of Mount Royal, it is the ideal haven for this hardworking homeowner.

Master balcony designed to give the experience of being in and living below the canopy of a tree. The windows are positioned and oriented to allow the ocean breezes to flow through the home

Olson Kundig Architects created Studhorse in Washington's remote Methow Valley as four structures oriented around a central courtyard, each positioned to best enjoy the surrounding vistas in all four seasons.

The cabins are set on rocky formations and oriented for optimal panoramic views and guest privacy. Depending on the time of year, guests can enjoy views of the Northern Lights, the midnight sun, and the continent's largest colony of sea eagles.

One-Family Custom Housing: Olson Kundig Architects created this home in Washington's remote Methow Valley as four structures oriented around a central courtyard, each positioned to best enjoy the surrounding vistas in all four seasons.

The home’s high-efficiency windows are oriented to maximize natural light. At night, the floating, wood-burning fireplace creates a cozy gathering space among lounge chairs and faux-fur throws. Vintage rugs on the concrete floor add an additional layer of warmth and texture.

The Pavilion is oriented toward bay views.

The outdoor terrace is oriented to face the lake.

“The addition is oriented towards the sun and faces the original Californian bungalow, allowing you to look at the heritage house from the new part and vice versa,” said Welsch. “It combines two unlikely architectural expressions—the casualness and generosity of a lightweight timber-clad building with the heaviness of earth construction.”

The firm opened up the closed off kitchen, orienting it in the center of the living space.

Burneo oriented the house in a pair of perpendicular volumes. The ground floor houses the public areas, including a study, while the top volume, housing the bedrooms and a family room, is oriented north-south, allowing for warm sunlight and a visual orientation toward the gardens.

These wood-wrapped spaces take oriented strand board to new heights.

The house is oriented to maximize views of the ocean and Edgartown to the west, and Nantucket and Cape Pogue Bay to the east. Natural sea grasses sourced from the surrounding area cover the roof of the building, providing thermal insulation while also dampening the noise of rain, improving air quality, and helping to manage rainwater flow.

When Matthew Trzebiatowski and his wife Lisa designed their own home in Arizona, they created a bathroom whose extreme aesthetic matched the area’s extreme climate. The Trzebiatowskis’ bathroom retains the spirit of Arizona heat with its shocking magenta ceilings, floors, and walls. The vanity is anything but—featuring art instead of a mounted mirror—and is made from sanded and sealed OSB, a waste material typically used in framing.

The houses are also oriented toward the water and each other, creating a neighborly feel.

Throughout the house, the architects oriented windows to capture views of the large oak trees on the property.

The pine cladding is oriented at a diagonal to accentuate the home’s angular shape.

The design of this unique structure was oriented toward the exterior panoramic view.

This poolside conversation pit is oriented around a fire pit at a vacation home in Coachella, California.

The freestanding tub was oriented precisely so that the bather can enjoy maximum forest views during a soak.