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Hefty redwood timbers support this handsome addition to a two-story home in California. The owners chose redwood for its natural warmth, noting they wanted to create something “simple and elegant—not too modern, but also not overtly traditional.”

Hook & Ladder Winery outfitted its grounds with redwood, which, known for its natural muscle, durability, and fire-resistant properties, remains a go-to for hardworking outdoor structures.

A diagram of Spacecube's Adaptable Living series, which breaks down into a series of small 20-square-meter boxes that can be collated and expanded in myriad configurations.

The entrance to home is defined by two Foo dogs, which are feng shui symbols of protection—and these dogs also give the home its name. The board-formed concrete of the main living wing has been left as is, creating a play of constantly changing shadows. Over time, weather will naturally soften these joints, and the look of the home will subtly evolve.

“Where most would use chicken wire and a box design, the clients wanted the chicken coop to complement the architecture of the house,” says architect Cavin Costello. “So, the coop uses some elements of the main house, with the rusted, corrugated metal shed roof and vertical brise-soleil. It’s a chicken coop design that can stand up to the elements of living in the desert.”

Set in a clearing surrounded by spruce and birch trees in Kontiolahti, Finland, a cabin known as the Meteorite cuts a striking profile. The structure is made entirely of cross-laminated timber (CLT). Air gaps of various sizes behind the facade keep the interior warm without conventional insulation, even during Finland’s freezing winters, and give the Meteorite its out-of-this-world shape.

“The approval process wasn’t easy. It’s just a guesthouse, but we may as well have been trying to build an apartment complex in the backyard,” says Marks. Walls of board-formed concrete are warmed by the cumaru wood ceilings and decks.