Development

Completed in 2008, the Mountain Dwellings is the second of BIG’s three projects in Ørestad, a new neighborhood in Copenhagen where development is attracting many new inhabitants. The result does looks like a mountain—hence the building’s name and the inspiration for the mural of Mount Everest that adorns the 82-foot-high facade.

Each “micro-hood” consists of six to eight houses around common outdoor spaces. Davis was careful to design for privacy: Large windows face south and small ones point north to avoid big expanses of facing glass.

Rooftop Itek solar panels power the community—and are eligible for increased production incentives because they’re made locally. Although the panels were optional, every Village resident chose to install them.

Phase one consists of 23 houses and two apartment buildings with 10 units each. The next two phases, The Grove and The Park, will offer a mix of town houses and condominium apartments. Some critics see these more conventional schemes as diluted versions of the original concept.

The Village features gardens and orchards created by Tim Goss, Kia Micaud, and HomeGrown Organics. No roads run within the community, so it’s completely car-free (a parking lot sits at the far end of the site). An abundance of bicycles has meant a shortage of bike parking, an element of the plan the Grow team acknowledges they could have done differently.

Clad in a mix of stained cedar, Metal Sales corrugated siding, and James Hardie cement board, houses in The Village are arranged along winding paths intended to provide opportunities for neighbors to interact.

Go off the grid at this private island in Belize—literally. The island is powered by a state of the art solar power system, for a truly green experience with all the comforts of home. Your group and the staff will be the only guests on the island, and your stay includes concierge service, a private chef, a private boat to take you to and from the village, and plenty of fun amenities on the island, like kayaking and paddle boarding.

Row on 25th's floor plan.

Tina and Matthew Ford, here with daughter Daisy, are the owners of Shade House Development, the company that designed and is building the suite of houses that comprise Row on 25th in Houston, Texas.

The series of pitched white buildings was inspired by the work of architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen. “The shell of the house is a very simple form,” says Matthew Ford, “no turns or intersecting roof sections. This allowed me to use solid but inexpensive framing and roofing crews. We are always looking for the point where simplicity and luxury meet.”