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Designed by Minneapolis firm Sala Architects, the 820-square-foot Metal Lark Tower marked the first rental cabin to open at Nordlys Lodging, a 140-acre property in Frederic, Wisconsin. Small windows on the northwest side of the two-story structure provide privacy and protection from winter winds. Solar panels and natural heat insulated by the triple-paned windows add to the structure’s efficiency.

Shaped like a cross, this four-cornered villa offers four different views of its location on an island in Finland. Avanto Architects created a black exterior, dotted with large windows, to make it invisible from the nearby lake.

Set on an east-west axis, the home stays cool with shading south-facing glass, minimal west-facing glass, and operable windows that allow for natural ventilation. Energy recovery ventilators also bring fresh air into the home.

Inside, Pine walls and ceilings received a dark stain, as did Oak floors.

Planning regulations required a gable roof, which the architects split into four shed roofs carefully designed to respond to heavy snow shed and meet spatial and aesthetic wishes.

The cabin is available to rent all year long, and only accessible by foot, skis, and snowshoes. Transport carts or sleds are available to bring in gear.

The smallest Out of the Valley model is the Forest Sauna, which features two benches on either side of a heater and fits two people lying down or four to six people seated. A large window brings views of the surrounding landscape into the sauna. “The sauna experience is all about connection—to nature, to other people, and to yourself,” says McKelvie. “It’s also good for physical and mental health and people are becoming much more aware of that.”

A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.

The organic placement of the windows echoes the knots on the trunks of the surrounding trees.

On a rocky bank, Hebra Arquitectos builds a breezy home that opens wide to nature.

The entrance was place at a diagonal that's parallel to the road leading to the house.

The home is elevated to allow for humidity protection and ventilation, but also in order to protect the biodiversity of the forest floor.

The Malalcahuello region is known for its dramatic landscapes with thick forests, lakes, streams, and volcanoes. It is home to two nature reserves.

Cedar strips on the exterior (and where used on the interior) were treated with "iron sulfate and kept outside for months before assembly to achieve an even patina," said Stinessen.

First built in 1959 as acclaimed architect Jim Olson's first project, this modest bunkhouse in the woods grew into an extraordinary family retreat.