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“The Passive House system is about achieving affordable energy-efficient houses. You reduce mechanical services—like heating systems—and put that money towards insulation and thermal performance, so you lower costs and achieve a high level of comfort,” explains Mori. The traditional charred cedar facing shown here (great for repelling insects and rain) hides a sandwich of plastic sheeting and insulation that keeps temperature and humidity stable with only occasional resort to active heating or cooling appliances.

This house for a family of four in Kamakura, near Tokyo, was the first in Japan to receive Passive House certification, an international standard for energy-efficient housing. It was designed by Mori and completed in 2009.

Kitchen-Upper

The holiday home is nestled into a narrow site in Buffalo Bay, a small beachside town near Buffelsbaai, with a Milkwood forest to the rear and the ocean to the front. The two living levels sit above a large garage/storage area on the lower ground floor and open completely out to the views.

3. "Can I afford the payment on the home?" "Although lenders are not handing out money as easily as they did in 2006, it's very important to know that you can afford your house payment and live your life in other areas,” states Hoffman.

Want to build your own tiny house? Now you can purchase plans for this award-winning home from Minim. Designed with the belief that "humans can and must live more sustainably, but not without style," the Minim House integrates thoughtful, green design into all of its 264 square feet.

Perched quietly on the dunes of New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, Hut on Sleds serves as a small, sustainable beach retreat for a family of five.

The 500-square-foot home is designed for empty backyards in Silicon Valley. Abodu imagines the units serving as rentals, or housing for recent graduates or aging loved ones.

The Japanese "no-brand" masters of minimalism unveil the first single-story design in their line of prefab homes.

The bedroom wing steps out to the pool. Cor-Ten steel encases the doors and windows, and forms the custom cantilevered canopies.