massing

The front and rear facades of Cabana Don Juan are made of glazed units framed in glass. The sides are made of fiber cement panels.

West Loop Loft floor plan

Built as a live/work space for a sculptor, Indigo by Dutch practice Woonpioniers is an eco-friendly, prefabricated cabin with bent wooden walls.

Wild bush, sand dunes, and scrub surround the circular home on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The Austin Maynard Architects team was careful to minimize the building’s impact on the fragile landscape.

Lisbeth Juul and Laust Nørgaard drew upon their years of experience living on the water to design and build an 860-square-foot floating home in Copenhagen Harbor. The home’s minimal form and furnishings reflect the residents’ desire to downsize following three years on land.

In Texas, where everything is bigger, Ryan McLaughlin is placing his bets on something small. Specifically, a simple 160-square-foot cabin that he hopes city-dwellers will book to get away, find some focus, and reconnect with nature. The result is a laidback, pitched-roof cabin in which every inch of space is thoughtfully allotted so that guests can spend the maximum amount of time outdoors.

Lagos has raised the cabin above the ground on supporting steel to avoid damaging any of the existing trees on site.

The green-roofed studio was reinforced to support the weight of wet soils.

The artist studio overlooks the green roof on the yoga studio.

The reflecting pool is surrounded by foliage and breathtaking views of the bay.

On a sandy cul-de-sac in Stinson Beach, California, architects Matthew Peek and Renata Ancona built an elevated modern structure beside a modest 1940s bungalow.

“We both really love to cook, but the kitchen was so small, only one of us could be in there at a time,” says Emma.

The cedar wrapped deck appears to carve out of the metal wrapped shape.

In summer, trees help to filter out some of the heat during the warmer days.

Rising Cane pavilion by Penda.

Floor plan for ground and upper level.

This 19th century workshop in the Netherlands was converted into a cool, modern apartment.