This stairway gets a very on-trend arch treatment.

Thin, slatted wood paneling adds warmth to this bathroom.

This backsplash may only cover a small surface area, but its asymmetric tiles are the kitchen’s pièce de résistance.

Fiber art brings an element of softness to this dining area.

A macramé wall hanging serves as large-scale, textural artwork in this sitting room.

Olive is a calming shade of green that works well in bedrooms.

The curvy shape of this pink sofa gives it a fun, playful quality.

If you have an underutilized space in your home (like underneath a staircase), consider turning it into an indoor garden.

Arched entryways bring to mind the cave homes in Oia, Greece.

An angled application gives this wood paneling a modern feel.

Floor-to-ceiling tiles give this courtyard a major “wow” factor.

The master bedroom is furnished with a queen bed and a cool-touch 10-inch memory foam mattress beneath a large skylight. Compared to last year’s model, the 2020 Living Vehicle offers two feet of extra space.

After: Pink-toned terrazzo tile counters and a backsplash and olive green-painted cabinetry enlivens the kitchen, where the designers created open shelving using leftover plywood from the mezzanine ceiling panels.

One of the Living Vehicle’s most popular features is its self-supporting deck, which serves as an extension of the indoor living space and can be easily lowered or raised with a garage door–style support spring. The updated deck is now rated for 1,500 pounds.

The firm also designed the kitchen, which was fabricated by Thomson Cabinetry.

The "Tippy Cup Rain Chain" teaches the children about water conservation.

Mithun designed the tree house so that it would tread lightly on the land. The firm originally considered prefabricating the entire structure offsite but, in the research process, concluded that craning large modules into place would potentially harm the canopy. A combination of a bolted-together prefab structure and site-built wood housing yielded the least intrusive construction option. The Summit Bechtel Reserve is located in West Virginia's coal mining country. The architects looked to the local structures—bridges, mining apparatus, and other industrial buildings—to inform the tree house's design. A 166-ton Cor-Ten steel megastructure supports the 125-foot-tall building. The use of regionally appropriate materials, like steel and black locust wood, was important to the architects.

Visitors scale a series of outdoor staircases that wind their way up the structure. Volume and Studio Terpeluk turned the risers into a teaching moment about energy use and the impact of every day activities.

Mithun wanted to engage the scouts with all elements of the forest: the floor, the canopy, and a perspective above the tree tops. In one of the viewing rooms, visitors get the feeling of being fully surrounded by leaves.

The structure's mission is to teach visitors about the environment and sustainability. San Francisco–based studio Volume designed the exhibition program, which offers interactive displays about water conservation, energy use, recycling, and more.

With every material and system in the self-sustaining six-story, 52,000-square-foot Bullitt Center evaluated toward the goal of net-zero energy, water, and waste, this Seattle office building is the largest certified Living Building.

The plan of the Ames center.

Archtober kicked off Building of the Day, a 31-day tour that highlights impressive architecture from all five boroughs, with the Collaborative Research Center at Rockefeller University. The modern biomedical research center features an airy seven-story atrium designed by Mitchell | Giurgola Architects.

One of Brooklyn's most acclaimed theater companies, the Theatre for a New Audience recently relocated to the Polonsky Shakespeare Center, an H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture–designed structure worthy of the troupe's reputation.

Wrapped in white and blue Carrarra marble, this public center has been called one of Aalto’s most important works in Germany, boasting a roof terrace that plays off the idea of a public square.

The Brooklyn Expo Center is the show's new home.

The Pompidou Center in 1977. Image copyright Martin Charles, courtesy of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Dedicated in 1897 as Chicago’s first public library, the Chicago Cultural Center‘s scholarly opulence more than fits in on Michigan Avenue. On an architectural level, the Beaux Arts-influenced design is as ornate as they come, complete with grand, red-carpeted staircases, Romanesque arches, and the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world, measuring 38 feet across. In addition to its intrinsic attraction, the center is one of Chicago’s most visited museums and features an eclectic array of art exhibits, live music, and dance performances. Admission is free. Photo by: Susan DeMark

Model of the center's floorplan.

One-inch-thick slate clads the fireplace in the living room, which opens to a terrace. The reclaimed coffee table is by Scott Chambers.

A small kitchenette comes complete with a cook top and oven. White oak wood flooring is used throughout, as a standard feature.

Bar

Four-year-old Ian plays in the courtyard, which is the center of family life in warmer months.

Scaletta (nA Nakayama Architect co.: Hokkaido, Japan) With a box-in-box structure that recalls a Breuer home stood on its end, this sleek business complex gets plenty of notice with its thin frame.