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Summary harnesses the power of prefabrication to create a set of compact homes on a breathtaking site.

Tasked with renovating a 1950s ranch in Northern California, Ogawa Fisher Architects revived an existing Japanese garden at the center of the home as a central organizing element. Low-slung, wide decks (inspired by the Japanese “engawa,” or elevated walkway) and deep roof soffits expand the living spaces, frame views, and blur the boundaries between inside and outside. The garden is the second of three courtyards that orients the various wings of the home from front to back, creating a vast sense of openness while also maintaining privacy from other areas of the house and the street.

In turning the second level of the garage behind their duplex into a multifunctional workspace without breaking the bank, Kyle Huberty relied on friends, family, and the community at large.

Architect Miguel Ángel Aragonés’s Mexico City home covers nearly 11,000 square feet. Rombo III spans three stories and is named after its sharp geometry. The home has a predominately white color palette—it's swathed in stucco, sand, and cement, with Spanish travertine floors. However, it takes on the hues of its surroundings—be it the gray or blue of the sky, or a hint of green from the lush foliage surrounding the house. With a meditation pond inside, the space is a serene getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

In Darby, Montana, just steps from the Bitterroot River, John Shoemaker and Greg Case built a home base for their fly-fishing group vacations.

“We always want to feel the carpentry in our projects. Our goal here was to show the wood of the structure as much as possible,” says architect Jean-Baptiste Barache.

Pearl Block by D’Arcy Jones Architects in Victoria, British Columbia

The cantilevered upper floors create a covered courtyard for each unit. Some of the facade’s stucco panels protrude to provide privacy and shade. Many of the principals at Goodman’s company, Aryze, have young children, as does Jones, making the team well suited to design for growing families’ needs. “We don’t find it hard to relate to stuff like this,” says Jones.

Floor plan of Pearl Block by D’Arcy Jones Architects

“During construction, I bet people thought we were building a bridge,” says Goodman with a laugh.

The tables/desks in the built-in booth feature adjustable, telescopic bases that help to convert the area into a platform bed.

It was Elsie, the goldendoodle, who started it. “We were living in a tiny house in the center of Byron Bay with two little children and Elsie in the middle of the wet season,” says homeowner Cheryl Kitchener.

When architects Thomas Karsten and Alexandra Erhard toured the raw industrial space, they were struck by how much light streamed in, a gift bestowed by large windows and the rare presence of a private patio.

Site plan of Five Yard House by Miró Rivera Architects

The fence surrounding the property consists of wire mesh that will become a visual screen as it is overtaken by ivy, and gabion walls that contrast with the sleek materiality of the architecture.