ADUs

This Toronto workspace designed by architect Anya Moryoussef features an 18-foot-long built-in floating desk with integrated storage.

Architect Mark Fullgar chose corrugated steel, aluminum window frames, and strengthened glass—cost-effective, non-combustible materials, given the cabin’s location in a rural fire zone.

The 1000-square-foot ADU is two levels with a footprint that allows the owners to retain plenty of outdoor space for their dogs to play. The façade “is a rain screen system, so the heat gain on the Brazilian hardwood is minimized by being physically separated by an air gap between it and the membrane behind it,” said Knight. “So, the wood heats up when sun hits it and this is not directly translated into the wall on the interior; it is instead buffered by this air gap.” The large doors and second-story skylights then work together to pull a nice breeze through the house.

A glimpse of Heva's interior and deck.

Type St. Apartment floor plan

When the home isn't inhabited, the brothers secure the building with heavy treated pine screens.

On Vashon Island, about 20 miles southwest of Seattle, architect Seth Grizzle designed a 440-square-foot multiuse structure for his clients Bill and Ruth True.

Named after its rooftop photovoltaic panels, the Solar Studio is the first completed build in NODE’s customizable Trillium Series.

Three environmentally friendly container homes.

The new studio is full of light and intended as a flexible space for guests, home office, or creative space. The oversized sliding doors expose the kitchen while tucking the bedroom away.

Like the entry bridge (below), the deck is surrounded by welded-wire fencing made by West Macon Welding. Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

A Nectre Bakers oven provides sharply defined contrast at the kitchen, and also supplies heat in colder temperatures. The oven is used for baking, as well as space-heating. The translucent doors on both sides open to east and west-facing decks to capture morning and evening sun.

"With both sliding doors open, the two decks connect seamlessly through the building, dramatically changing the sense of scale, space, and connection to the site."

This view from the open-plan living space shows the loft bed and sunken office on the right, as well as the storage room illuminated by a window on the left. The storage room is opposite the entrance.

Apartment X floor plan.

The home's modular design is composed of an outer shell and an interior core unit that contains essential living functions, such as a bed, bathroom, and a small kitchenette.

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

A modest, gabled 1965 hut on the outskirts of Guatemala City was transformed into an expansive 4,467-square-foot getaway. Blurring the indoors and out, architect Alejandro Paz adhered to the original architectural elements while adding modernized touches. The roof maintains the same angle as the original hut, but reversed, while new modules give the space a new identity. With floor-to-ceiling glazing, the home allows for the residents to take in the Guatemalan forest from all angles.