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“We did our best to tuck the buildings into the site—the goal was to get up high on a perch. It was a matter of setting that elevation and working back down with the topography.”—Riley Pratt, architectural designer

“Everything is in the core,” Farley says. “It’s an efficient way to organize space and functions.

After staying in a tree house listed on Airbnb, Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore wanted their own getaway in the woods. "It was amazing being up in the trees,

The hotel’s on-site restaurant and bar, Dandelion, offers a seasonal menu.

Techo-Bloc’s Aquastorm pavers are designed to allow grass to grow between them, creating a unique play between the softness of grass and the functionality of concrete. They’re also anti-flood and permeable, making them as functional as they are beautiful.

The Alerce shingles change color when it rains, moving from red to grey. “It’s alive,” says Marambio.

The Max-A studio is also built with a pine frame, though it has pine panelling on the ceiling, while the main house ceiling is painted a warm white.

They subdivided their three hectares of land to share with friends, and selected for themselves the property that sat lowest. “Everyone wants a view, but we want to be immersed in the landscape,” says Marambio. The plot of land is by a ravine; the sound of trickling water is constant. The lush vegetation is home to foxes, birds and native cats.

The trailer's home base is near Joshua Tree National Park, and remains comfortable inside despite the desert's extreme heat and nighttime cold.

The Anza Airstream was designed to feel more open than other trailers, with little upper cabinetry.

The home is clad in corrugated iron coated with Zincalume. “We chose the cladding so we could curve the metal sheets and create barrel vaulted roofs,” says architect William Samuels. “The finish gives a natural reflection to the surface of the house, picking up on the colors of the surrounding bush and the changing daylight.”

According to the architects iHouse Estudio, this prefab in Punto del Este, Urugay, aims to immerse the residents in the forested surroundings. “Continuing with this idea,” they add, “the house features a flowing interior with no interior walls. Inside, blocks contain bathrooms, a kitchen, and closets, freeing the rest of the spaces to connect with the setting. The forest is framed at all times."

The detached screened porch sits out in the landscape, not unlike a Japanese teahouse.

“Metaphorically, the cabin’s exterior is like a cut log,” Lane says. “The black-stained Western red cedar is the bark, and the Douglas fir siding under cover is the exposed wood once the log has been cut.” Beyond the house and native sod gardens, a meadowscape blends into the mature pine forest at the lakefront. “We wanted a woodland garden quality,” landscape architect Soren deNiord says.

The couple named their company Konga after the young son, Vinca’s mispronunciation of the Lithuanian word for “socks” when he was learning to speak. “For us, it formed a symbolic association with the feeling of the earth under bare feet,” says Goda. “It encouraged us to leave our footprint, but with minimal impact on nature and meaningful value to humans.”

The target market for the KONGA Cabin is initially Scandinavian countries, but the couple have also had enquiries from Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. According to the founders of KONGA, it is intended to be used for short-term rentals, a luxury hotel room in a remote location, or a “hideaway house” for landowners.