The Birch Pavilion sits atop a 14-by-26-foot platform composed of hemlock and pressure-treated timbers. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

With its dramatic facade, the Cornwall House, located in Cornwall, Vermont, is adjacent to the town of Middlebury, Vermont, home to Middlebury College, where John McLeod is a visiting professor of architecture.

Architect Brian Zulaikha.

Construction of the pavilion was completed in the summer of 2013. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

To allude to the nearby ocean, the architects designed a seaweed patterned for the interior of the garage door (seen here raised). It successfully reads like a leather padded wall and makes “the cube” feel that much more customized.

Oman and his partner Andrej Gregoric had the cupboards, stairs, and bed all custom-made. The interior casework provides storage and adds warmth to the concrete walls.

Overhanging rafters establish vestibules at both ends of the structure. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The home's exposed concrete skeleton, wrapped in oak, creates a warm, layered space for living. Oman split the floors by function, with common areas on the ground level, followed by the kids' rooms and then a third-floor suite for the parents.

The pavilion is framed with 34 lenghs of timber, each about 8 inches in diameter and cut to a length of 9 feet. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The pavilion frames a view of the peak of Mt. Ascutney, 25 miles in the distance. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The Birch Pavilion under construction. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The pavilion is oriented to capture views of the clouds, stars, and foliage. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The facade of a house in Belgium consists of "knitted bricks." “In this part of Belgium, 90 percent of the houses are built with brick,” says architect Tom Verschueren. “It’s a classic material that we tried to use in House BVA in a totally different way.”

Sleek Architect’s Home (Sydney, Australia) Providing a modern update to the predominantly Victorian style of surrounding suburban homes in Paddington, this urban home is bathed in natural light during the day and offers the respite of a Japanese garden on property.Listing at Architect's Own Central Sydney Home

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.

Architect Tom Kundig’s assignment was simple enough: Build a tiny, Thoreau-like getaway for an Atlanta-based writer who owned ten acres on San Juan Island in Puget Sound. "The idea was not to clutter anybody’s thinking, especially a writer’s," he said. So he designed a 500-square-foot retreat that’s both womblike and open to its surroundings.

A custom table surrounded by NET’s Museo chairs and poplar stools provides a space for the Sarmiento Tovo boys, Manuel, 5, and Julián, 3, to play with the toys their mother makes.

Using a contemporary play on vintage ski cabins in Vermont, architect David R. Maclean designed a modern home that takes advantage of sweeping valley views and opens up to the surrounding forested landscape.

With 5,000 square feet on the ground floor, the structure boasts two capacious exhibition spaces, which the couple use to show their own work, as well as rent out to others for private events.

The cantilevered sleeping loft posed a structural challenge. "The structure is simple, however we explored a number of options for supporting the cantilevered loft," Eerkes says. "But after comparing costs for large trusses versus a big glulam beam—including labor costs for construction of each—the simplicity of a two-foot glulam beam won out. The steel rod cross bracing provided lateral stability in the longitudinal direction."

"Architecture exists through states of contrast; the building as a bridge between a wooded forest and a field, a strong roof line against a backdrop of trees or mountains. In these states of contrast we truly start to see where we live." -Architect Steve Kredell

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Balangan Vistas Resort Hotel

Anna Hoover, founder of the non-profit First Light Alaska, sought a "thought refuge, a room with a view to sit and contemplate future projects and reflect on recent travels and interactions, plenty of ‘headspace’—tall ceilings—and the ability to host other artists for studio time," she says. A longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Hoover was familiar with the work of Olson Kundig and contacted the Seattle-based firm to design her abode.

The simple yet spacious master bedroom opens up to a private terrace.

The original house was a single-story structure, not robust enough to carry a second floor. Fritz’s solution was to build an upper level that functions like a bridge, spanning the original structure without compromising it.

Both the front door and garage are accessible from street level. The floor is cantilevered out over a concrete pile foundation and garden far below.

Fritz explains, “The primary inspiration was Dutch International Style design. The clients have roots in Holland and it started out looking more De Stijl than it does now, but ultimately, they wanted something that drew as much from their present in Hawaii as their past in Europe.”