Favorites

Front facade

Project: College Road Architect: Thompson + Baroni architects in collaboration with Stephen Marshall Architects

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.

Can smarter materials and better engineering mitigate the risk of living near the sea?

The walkway leading up to the front doors is inviting and the different materials provide a fun variance of color that isn't too over the top.

One of the most significant of Mies' works, the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, was built between 1945 and 1951 for Dr. Edith Farnsworth as a weekend retreat. The home embraces his concept of a strong connection between structure and nature, and may be the fullest expression of his modernist ideals.

The owners, a couple who work at home, clamored for more space with the new addition. Solbjør created dramatic entrances, such as these stone steps leading into the kitchen, to heighten the contrast between the old and new.

South Elevation

Front yard at Rue de l'Anse residence - Quebec city, Canada

Architect John Hix—who, as one might gather, worked under renowned American architect and concrete aficionado Louis Kahn—designed the hotel Hix Island House in Vieques, off Puerto Rico. The latest guest house on the property is called Casa Solaris and is entirely removed from the commercial grid, running completely on solar power. Photo by Michael Grimm.

An ipe deck slopes sharply skyward behind Amy Persin’s house in Menlo Park, California, creating a secluded backyard getaway that feels like an outdoor extension of her living room. A single step on either side leads to patches of gravel, which her children have claimed as areas for unstructured play.