Because of its irregular, otherworldly form, and how it seems to be suspended in midair, the cabin was named "Ufogel," which is a melding of the acronym UFO and "vogel," meaning bird in German.

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.

In a recent home makeover, Dan Brunn Architecture based out of Los Angeles, California, gave this midcentury-modern home a playful yet elegant upgrade. Brunn added a skylight, which offers more natural light that enhances the blue tones throughout the dining room. When it comes to style, adding quirky design and color gives this dining room a personality—especially with the intriguing dining set with a curvy tabletop and warm-hued chairs.

A Seattle family tasked Atmosphere Design Build with creating a sustainable dwelling in Nevada City, California, the matriarch's hometown and a historic mining community. The firm's material-driven approach channels the pioneer spirit of the gold rush, without compromising comfort or high-efficiency standards.

Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.

Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.

Rice surfs the net at the built-in desk.

The staircase, which runs from the lower level to the third floor, is lined by a single 32-foot-tall pane of glass.

Every evening, the residents climb the 32 flights of steel stairs to retreat in their “nest”.

Most impressive of all, a solar array on the roof empowers the residents to produce more energy than they consume on-site.

Vintage Alvar Aalto Table Model 91 “I thought it would be interesting to include a piece of vintage furniture, since that’s where we got our start. It’s a bold and big table for such a restrained designer, with chunky legs and decorative veneer. It’s big for 1930’s standards, and still has labels and stickers on the bottom, including one from Harvey Nichols, the original importer.”

The Atrium Townhome by Robitaille Curtis has a 32-foot atrium with a skylight running the full width of the house. The third story features a net “floor” at the top of the atrium that turns the void into a dramatic play surface adjacent to the kid’s bedrooms. The use of a net in this location precludes the need for guardrails and opens the floor plan to unimpeded views to and from the third floor. Riggers from Cirque du Soleil provided and installed the trapeze net.

A view of the installation at the House for Contemporary Art in Belgium.

Numen's Net, occupied by gallery attendees.

Nothing but WOW ❤️❤️❤️

The house was fully assembled in just 32 working days.

The north facade is bordered by a longitudinal planter that’s more than 32 feet long.

At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.

Metal shingles cut from scraps of sheet metal mix with new material as well as odds and ends, such as a road sign Baker bought at the Alameda Flea market. Baker designed stainless steel clips that allow any tile to be easily moved or replaced without the use of tools. Planter box panels add functionality to the facade and can be swapped out or relocated throughout the year.

The house was fully assembled in just 32 working days. “It was a wonderful, emotional thing to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of our clients,” describes Meelena.

The spa-style bathroom includes a 32" x 36" wet-dry shower with a rainfall shower head and a skylight above.

Linda Taalman and Alan Koch built a home by Joshua Tree National Park, where temperatures can span from 32 degrees to over 100. The two opted for a glass enclosure with raw industrial style and green design that allowed them to live lightly on the land. iT House has floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the landscape, a suspended fireplace by Fire Orb for cold nights, and an abundance of spaces that open up to the outdoors.

Mexico City–based architecture firm PPAA designed a 624-square-foot, modular concrete dwelling with a dusty pink finish as one of 32 housing proposals—each representing one of Mexico’s 32 states—designed for Laboratorio de Vivienda, a showcase of easily replicable, affordable, and environmentally friendly homes in Apan, Hidalgo. At a cost of just $18,000 to build, it employs locally sourced, cost-effective materials to keep within its tight budget.

The Catch lamp is based on a butterfly net.

“These are homes that are truly sustainable—they don’t create any waste in fabrication, and there’s no waste onsite.” —Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Minarc. Photos by Art Gray.

“There’s no drilling or chopping,” says Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, cofounder of Minarc. “It’s a very elegant way to build.” Photos by Art Gray.

Rather than a one-off custom piece, Baker designed the daybed as a prototype and worked with Ohio Design on its fabrication.

The Jaffa Hotel has a total of 120 hotel rooms and suites, along with a new six-story wing that features 32 private residences.

The faceted corrugated metal ceiling opens up over the staircase, soaring to a height of 32 feet above the ground floor. Like much of the metalwork, the steel staircase and railing were fabricated by Tutto Ferro.

The town of Vail has enlisted 359 Design's help to produce 32 affordable housing units in the Chamonix Vail project. The modular homes come in five different types and are fabricated in Idaho before being shipped to the site.

NET was founded by renowned architect Alejandro Sticotti in 1990. The firm prefers to use South American hardwoods that, in addition to being durable, anchor their products in their Argentine origins. For instance, the Silla ska chair (seen here) is made from lenga, a patagonian wood that resembles American cherry. The satin black floor lamp is also from NET.

Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, CONGREGATION BET HA’AM

Bullitt Center (Seattle, Washington: 2013) Denis Hayes, chief executive of the Bullitt Foundation, said that if the Bullit Center, his organization’s ambitious experiment in creating a sustainable and “living” office building, is still the greenest space of its kind in a decade, it will have been a failure. That’s not bragging, that’s merely an insight into the scope and ambition of this revolutionary structure, a testing ground for water and energy self sufficiency (via rainwater collection, composting, and a large solar array) aiming to be a case study for radical change in how we build. Based on stats released on Earth Day in April, the building’s first anniversary, the structure is currently using 75 percent less energy than a similar structure and is on its way to a net zero energy certification. Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

The shower is a residential 32" x 32".

32" x 32" shower