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Spruce and pine cladding echo the verticality of the tree trunks surrounding the cabins.

The lush spaces of the Garden Room interweave plants into its organic form.

The window in the kitchen that overlooks the garden is intentionally free of any structure, with the small ventilation openings discretely located to the side. This ensures the view is uninterrupted and the woodlands become part of the interior.

On the left, stairs over the sauna lead up to an elevated lookout on the right. Beneath it is the bathhouse.

City Cabin | Olson Kundig

The bedroom is elevated around five meters above the forest floor, and the space beneath has—like the green roof—been given back to the Bushveld. “Naturally, this space is shadier than the surrounding forest, so it creates a different microclimate for different species to flourish in that area,” says architect Ant Vervoort. “It’s an area that we have cultivated.”

In thinking about the worldwide lack of reliable water, sanitation, food, and electricity—and the fact that housing sector contributes more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions—the Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture and the New Haven, Connecticut–based architecture firm Gray Organschi Architecture designed and constructed a 230-square-foot home called the Ecological Living Module (ELM). The construction is a fully off-grid housing prototype that was designed to take advantage of sustainable materials, green technology, and simple construction methods. There's a a rainwater harvesting system, a solar system that provides 100 percent of the building’s energy needs, and a graywater system that irrigates food-producing plants that mark the building’s west facade.

A mesh run for the chickens.

The coop has radiant heated floors inside.

The upper floor of one of the cabins features a wood-burning stove, beanbag chairs, and a hanging paper lantern.

Eager to flee the city at a moment’s notice, a couple who run a creative studio in Bratislava decided it was time for a weekend home. On a forested plot overlooking a lake in nearby Vojkanad Dunajom, architect Peter Jurkovič of JRKVC created a calming cabin that frames views of the countryside.

In addition to poplar plywood surfaces, the interior features linoleum floors and wood wool insulation. The wood-burning stove is Prity's Mini model.

Shiplap pine walls, primed white, complement unfinished concrete floors and a wood stove by Jotul.

Designed by Atelier Lina Bellovicova, House LO marks the country’s first residential project to use hempcrete, a sustainable and fire-and-mold-resistant materil.

Designed for a creative couple from Los Angeles seeking a quiet retreat, this 380-square-foot sanctuary was conceived as something between a tent structure and a viewfinder: Openings draw focus to specific views across Great Oyster Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula while providing immediacy to the vegetated dunes of Dolphin Sands. From burying the utilities to paving access around the undulating terrain, Matt Williams Architects made every effort possible to minimize their encroachment on the site and blend the structure into the landscape.

'73 BMW 2002

The historic agricultural buildings now evoke modern flair, mixing raw concrete with brick, stone and rammed earth. The exposed timber beams and restored frames add warmth to the large spaces, which are bathed in natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling glazing.