Here, one of El Cosmico's three teepees is a lantern for desert travelers.

Jaunts through nature are a great way to exercise, relieve stress, and get some vitamin D.

Roy Kim (@roykimdesign) of Douglas Elliman (@douglaselliman) and Dror Benshetrit (@drorbenshetrit) discussed the future of high-rise living in The New Skyscraper panel.

Tom Givone sits at a table of his own design, which he had fabricated from reclaimed wood by a local carpenter.

The Balancing Barn in Suffolk: On the edge of a nature reserve a few miles from the Suffolk coast, the MVRDV-designed Balancing Barn cantilevers over the surrounding meadow.

"Designing for density and nature," says Mun Summ Wong of WOHA, "we really felt strongly that New York and The Skyscraper Museum would be the perfect place to launch this exhibition. Our hope is that people gather a sense of our philosophy and approach, as well as the inherent beauty of structures and spaces that are integrated with nature." Seen here are the vertical gardens of the SkyVille @ Dawson, a 960 unit public housing complex in Singapore. The building is divided into 12 "Sky Villages" which each have their own naturally-ventilated communal green space. SkyVille is filled with shared amenities such as a 1,300 foot running track on the roof.

New interior finishes, furniture, and a guesthouse were part of the restoration/renovation of John Lautner's Chemosphere, a 1960s house that makes frequent cameos in film and television.

This stunning concept, a bid to design a future-forward skyscraper for Stockholm, appears like a kind of living building, with the terraced, diamond-shaped facade that acts like a multi-story trellis. Berg | C.F. Møller Architects conceived of this 34-story structure as a beacon, and its airy form and clean finish certainly would stand as a shining example of the Scandinavian aesthetic.

In 2003, Resolution: 4 Architecture was one of 16 firms who participated in the Dwell Home Design Invitational—a competition to design a modern prefab home for $200,000. Their winning design, constructed in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is a groundbreaking case study that combines prefabricated construction with contemporary, modern design.

"The design for the Hanwha HQ media facade aims to avoid an overstated impact," says UNStudio founder Ben Van Berkel. "In the evenings, as the mass of the building becomes less apparent, the facade lighting integrates with the night sky, displaying gently shifting constellations of light."

A detail of the towers' facade.

At the end of a steep driveway, off a road less graveled, await the happy innkeepers: Chris Brown, Sarah Johnson, and Michael and Joshua, two of their three sons.

The courtyard offers a glimpse of nature from nearly every angle, including up.

Available to rent on Airbnb, the two-bedroom prefab house as a prototype for their pre-engineered IT House series and made an appearance in Dwell Magazine’s November 2008 issue.

Voussoir Cloud Los Angeles (2008) IwamotoScott was commissioned by the SCI-Arc Gallery of Southern California Institute of Architecture to do an installation for its prestigious architectural series that acts as an incubator for new ideas.

The technique’s perfect for projects involving various sized parts—this one contained four different shapes. Also, the required amount—some 10,000 pieces—were also conducive to the technique. “To cut it by hand would be time prohibitive,” says Iwamoto, “and to create a dye would be too expensive. This was the perfect sized batch for digital fabrication.”

Wurster Cloud Installation University of California, Berkeley (2012) To shade graduation ceremonies for UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, Iwamoto and the 24 students in her digital fabrication seminar created a canopy outside Wurster Hall.

The project proved to be the perfect “teachable moment” for the professor: the light and airy structure made by stringing together heavy-grade Mylar shapes demonstrated the ideal use of digital fabrication.

Choosing not to make a big to-do of itself, this cottage blends in with its surroundings. A wall of glass on one end allows a merger of the outdoors with the interiors, while white trim leaves the appearance of a snow-kissed façade year-round. Berlin, Germany. By Atelier st Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.

Transformer or beach hut? Positioned in a coastal erosion zone, this holiday retreat for a family of five is completely capable of being relocated. An oversized shutter allows for protection from the elements when not in use and opens to allow sun in during the winter or provide shade on hot summer days. Waikato, New Zealand. By Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects, from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.

The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.

UNStudio's proposal for the Hanwha headquarters in Seoul features a responsive facade that will be used to control the indoor climate during the day, and come alive as a dynamic light show during the night.

Photovoltaic Cells, of which Hanwha is one of the world’s largest producers, are built into the facade where they can receive optimal energy and harvest the most solar energy possible.

In place of the previous opaque panelling and dark glass, UNStudio will install insulated glass and aluminum framing to increase the amount of natural light and reduce overall energy consumption.

One Kearny Lobby San Francisco (2010) In this privately owned building with a public event space on the top floor, the trick was to design a path from the lobby that could also attract attention from the curb. Otherwise, “it felt like a normal office building and was not that welcoming,” says Iwamoto.

Construction did involve something of a sleight of hand: the coffers are made without any mechanical fasteners like screws, but held in place by folding and gluing the material onto itself. When the ceiling is “on,” it emits a luminous glow.

Archeologists Working During Excavation Implementing Studio Milou’s award-winning design was occasionally held up by archeological discoveries on site—worth the wait in an area that was the site of a Knights Templar fortress and a prison that held the royal family during the French Revolution. Photo Credit: Fernando Javier Urquijo/studioMilou architecture.

At the time of completion (workmen rivet panels onto the roof), the 365-foot span (also the height of St. Paul's Cathedral) made it the largest dome on the planet. Photo courtesy CHELSEA Space.

The rear facade. A system of sliding glass windows and doors underscore the indoor/outdoor nature of the house.

A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.