Exteriors

The facade is punctured by a variety of differently sized windows: Those flush to the wall indicate the house’s public rooms, while the those for the private spaces are set back.

Passive House guidelines, like thick insulation, can often result in very simple forms, she says. Here, a recessed entrance in the shou sugi ban front facade provides privacy without complicating the design.

Project Name: Vertical House Website: www.muji.com/jp...

From red painted cedar siding to no-fuss structural elements, Northworks’ solution reaches a happy medium between the classic barn look and a weekend retreat. “The best thing about this house,” explains one resident, “is that when it’s just the four of us, it feels cozy. But even when we’re hosting 25 people, it never feels crowded.”

The owner of this modern, two-bedroom holiday home in Germany’s Black Forest is a carpenter and joiner, so it’s no surprize that wood is the star the design. Most of the wood for the core structure and interior finishings of the house were sourced from the nearby beech and pine forest.

The Nook by Hall + Bednarczyk Architects

Perched atop a mountain on over six acres of woods, this young couple's weekend getaway incorporates the old with the new.

Inspired by a barn, which is part of the same property, the main house in Hudson Valley, New York was constructed from structural insulated panels from Vermont Timber Frames and clad in charred cedar.

The home is defined by two types of windows: large punch openings for views onto the landscape and vertical windows everywhere else.

“I wanted to do a house that belonged on the site,” she says.