The home, clad in natural Australian timber, enjoys a sense of lightness thanks to slender columns that let it float over the dunes. The driveway and entry, at the rear of the building, have an understated design to build to the interior's magnificent ocean views. Firm director Phil Snowdon explains, “By creating an architectural form that draws your eye and leads you up the steep driveway, we could engage new visitors in a welcoming process that first reveals the object and then slowly reveals the main event, being the view."

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 restrained 820-square-foot interior is defined by the angular ceiling. Garlick left the prefabricated structural panels unfinished to save on material costs. A True North wood stove from Pacific Energy heats the house. Max, the family’s cat, naps on a vintage rug purchased on eBay.

This 3,200-square-foot structure was assembled with a prefabricated foundation, concrete panel siding, and efficient built-ins, minimizing construction debris and toxins—such as concrete foundation tar—on the site.

Mike Kurokawa and Paul Fishman set out for the beach from their house in the Puna region of Hawaii. A bridge leads from street level to the upper floor of the house, which is situated in a natural depression, or kipuka.

“There had been two or three primitive cabins on the property in the past, which resulted in a clearing that we utilized for the site,” Joseph Herrin says. “This allowed us to avoid any further tree removal for construction, and provided an opportunity to begin to restore that portion of the property with native landscaping.”

The bathroom features Chromtech tile, a Toto toilet, Kohler vanity, and powder-coated steel countertop.

To take in views of Victoria’s coastline from all directions, Austin Maynard Architects crafted a bach-inspired beach house using a circular, corridor-free design and full-height glazing. Exposed trusses and a simple material palette keep focus on the outdoors, while rooftop solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system help the dwelling reduce site impact.

Hexagonal and pentagonal panels come together to form this cabin’s oblong envelope. The unique architectural skin mimics the rock formations that surround it.

The spacious house features five bedrooms and six baths, plus a notable art collection and an in-home theatre.

A central wood-burning fireplace efficiently heats the whole home, minimizing the need for supplemental in-floor heating incorporated in the concrete floors. Natural cross-ventilation is achieved through the use of CO2 directed grills at the north and south of the home, an added green feature that further reduces the ecological footprint.

The home, a half-sunk diamond, is experienced very differently from each of its sides. Using BIM software, the firm designed modular prefabricated wooden panels that make up each of the home’s facades. Western red cedar was chosen for the panels, while tropical Bilinga was selected for the edge beam.

The linens by Matteo Los Angeles in the master bedroom were among the fabrics that Mirjana Munetic of Boora selected for the Finleys. The idea was to find neutral tones that would not upstage the views.

Completed in 2008, the rectilinear home features a roofline with a dramatic parabolic curve that creates two bulbous volumes inside the home, one of which houses a curved skylit shower.

“I love this low-level stair window. It’s at head height when you’re at the bottom of the stairs; it gives you a glimpse of, and connection to, the garden outside. Most of the windows capture what I’d call ‘hero shots,’ but some, like this one, are completely unexpected.”

Operable timber shutters and screens offer protection from extreme weather. Zoning the house into three distinct masses creates a partly sheltered courtyard to make this year-round blending of the indoors and outdoors possible.

“We wanted the exterior to be the artwork,” Ryan says.

Boora Architects designed a house for Ryan and Mary Finley near Cannon Beach, Oregon, that resembles a glass prism and rises above a shallow cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The 3,330-square-foot structure is topped with a green roof.

External shutters and screens allow the homeowners to manage the sunlight and cross ventilation in certain rooms. Manos Mavridis, also of OLA Studio, explains, “There was a preference for the screens to be manually operated to minimize ongoing maintenance costs and encourage user engagement with their environment."

The lake-level Beach Hut, built by Nathan and Adrianne’s father, further enhances the home’s indoor/outdoor living experience.

George Nelson's book Tomorrow's House, classic Neutra homes, and the contemporary architecture from the sunny state of California's all provided inspiration for Peter Bracher's personal Genesis Project.

The office houses the letter “U" as well as cameras.

Built to go off the grid, this remote beachside cottage can open up completely to the outdoors with its series of movable wall-sized glass panels and screens. Designed by Herbst Architects, the modest New Zealand bach comprises two rectangular pavilions built with mostly natural materials chosen for their durability, texture, and weathering characteristics.

Fed up with flashy, environmentally insensitive beach homes, architect Gerald Parsonson and his wife, Kate, designed a humble hideaway nestled behind sand dunes along the New Zealand coastline. Crafted in the image of a modest Kiwi bach, their 1,670-square-foot retreat consists of a group of small buildings clad in black-stained pine weatherboards and fiber-cement sheets.

Here's what you need to know before undergoing a building project with a contractor but no architect.

When not in use during winter, the tub is hidden from the home’s view. The entrance has a sheltered overhang for car parking.

The family spends summers and school vacations at the bach. New Zealand's relatively mild winters mean they use the house year-round.

Kayak in hand, Tom and Will make a break for the beach.

The home is located in the desirable Bird Rock neighborhood of La Jolla.

In Lida’s studio, terrazzo and granite floors blend seamlessly into a sunken bath, paired with a steel storage unit and a wooden Moroccan bath mat from Insh’ala, a local antique store.

Set on a quarter-acre pasture rented from a family friend in Maui, the tiny house operates entirely off grid with electricity, water, and sewer needs handled on-site.

A wood-burning stove by Euroflues is suspended from the ceiling in the living room. The glass curtain-wall system that surrounds it was a year in the making. It was painstakingly designed and tested so it would hold up to punishing winds off the Pacific Ocean that can reach 120 mph.

Guarding against coastal erosion, the 430-square-foot retreat rests on two thick wooden sleds which allow the structure to be readily relocated when needed.

Snowdon calls the design of the entire house a collaborative process with the clients, who actually recycled a good deal of furniture from their previous beach house, such as the coffee table and arm chairs seen here

The minimal form is an ideal beach side retreat and a beautiful combination of high end design and beach living.