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The home's roof height meets that of its neighbors’ second stories, and its big, black-framed Marvin Ultimate tilt/turn windows put a contemporary twist on a centuries-old ventilation strategy. Its Artisan V-Groove siding by James Hardie, with mitered corners and painted Narraganset Green—a deep peacock-emerald with tones of charcoal and slate—strikes a happy medium between subtropical color and chic contemporary minimalism.

In the two-story stairwell, steps seem to float in space, thanks to a circular skylight that illuminates the walls. A continuous steel handrail connects the floors.

“The idea was to make the house a string of pavilions so there could always be air flowing through them,” explains Marc. Behind the greenery sits custom chaise longues by Jaime Nuevo.

A house in Sydney combats climate change with its own ecosystem.

"To me, the house is all about responding to the climate gracefully, celebrating materials and an innovative assembly process, and using simple moves to accomplish many things at once,

"The home noses out of the forest just a little bit, like it’s peeking out of the trees,” says architect Ray Calabro.

With the nearby coastal cliffs reflected in their sharp rooflines, a vacation home and guesthouse play on the gabled structures of Canada’s Magdalen Islands. Residents Vincent Morel and Jan-Nicolas Vanderveken adapted a local custom by installing recessed entrances to keep strong winds at bay.

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.

Mexico City's privileged climate allows for outdoor relaxing all year round.

The couple found terra cotta breeze block that they stained black and installed so that the pattern was randomized. The builder was a bit scandalized that they wanted to cover the view from the living room, but Tom says, "The view is here all the time and it's nice to go from room to room and discover it, then rediscover it."

Lauren and Brittan Ellingson, the owners of Notice Snowboards, a custom snowboard and wakesurf company in Whitefish, Montana, approached Workaday Design and builder Mindful Designs to concoct a new lake home for their family. The brief was, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on getting the family outdoors as much as possible.