Architect Dan Brunn's #9 Dream House captures the contemporary style of the designers Dwell selected for Decorist.

“There is a lot of glass so you can enjoy the view and the outdoor lifestyle even inside,” Henrik explains. “You live in the middle of the weather somehow. It’s a really harsh environment, as you have these southwesterly winds blowing through the house. But it is really beautiful as well.”

Ingrid shows off one of the chickens the family raises in their large and very productive coop.

Portland permits each household up to three hens (no roosters), and in February 2009, Snyder had the plans in the works in Google SketchUp. Around the same time, the duo also got their chicks, housing them under lamps in the basement until the coop was completed. "We didn't know what they were going to be like," Snyder says. "But we didn't just get them for the eggs; they're really fun as pets, too."

The coop grew out of the garden. "We were so excited to have a yard," Snyder recalls. Martin started growing a vegetable bed and soon a friend and owner of Naomi's Organic Farm Supply suggested hens. "She got us excited about having chickens as an extension of our garden," Snyder says.

Snyder and Martin's move brought about an entirely different lifestyle--one that involved a house, a yard, and for Snyder, the chance to launch his own firm, Mitchell Snyder Architecture, after first acquainting himself to Portland, Oregon, as a designer at Scott Edwards Architecture. His first project on his own: a chicken coop for the couple's new feathery friends.

Cassell wasn't kidding when he said they did serious research. "This was probably the most architectural brain power ever devoted to the problem" of housing chickens, he said. They analyzed a variety of factors, including how many square feet each chicken required, how do you collect eggs, and how you keep chickens safe from predators. Undoubtedly, the last factor was one they had not considered on previous projects.

Another view of the finished coop.

The relatively spacious interior of the 60-square-foot coop came after the ARO architects delved in the literature, so to speak, and took time to examine the problem. "We made a project that works well for the birds, that's our obligation," says Cassell.

The family are avid fans of watersports of all stripes: “Windsurfing and the stand-up paddling board—the beach is right outside,” says Henrik. “It’s a fun house.”

The concept was to create a series of folded shingles, textured pieces of aluminum that would complement the more rustic aesthetic.

Cassell, who ended up working on a chicken coop, synagogue, and football stadium addition all at the same time, conducted serious research and did a series of thought exercises to figure out how to approach the assignment. After examining a handful of approaches—"What if Breuer created a poured-concrete coop? What happens if we create computer scripting to generate ideas?"—Cassell and designer Ethan Feuer settled on a rustic, curved shelter of bent aluminum shingles—an edgy, 60-square-foot avian Airstream.

Architecture Research Office (ARO) built this sleek, aluminum-clad chicken coop for a Hamptons backyard, both for the challenge and for "the sheer ridiculousness" of the project.

Radiant heating, one of the structure's amenties, is a coop must-have, according to Cassell.

This photo is one of the images of "happy clients" Cassell says ARO has occasionally put on display in their office. The firm has received numerous calls for work, and requests for more coops, since this project went public. "It's sort of shocking how many calls we received," he says. "We did a big project about climate change for MoMA, and this chicken coop has earned us just as many calls."

Snyder finished the sleek-looking box with reclaimed cedar siding and ventilated it with two upper windows. On top, he added a green roof: "The living roof helps keep the coop cool, but mostly it was a chance to experiment and design something fun."

The struggle of accessing the inside, however, is offset by Snyder's smart design of an exterior hinged window for easy egg access.

Native Oregon sedums grow on the coop's green roof. Elsewhere in the garden, Martin harvests lettuce, radishes, snap peas, onions, carrots, potatoes, and a cornucopia of other vegetables.

Oskar and Karl, 12 and 9, share breakfast at their family’s summer getaway in Sweden. The table is from ILVA, and the CH36 chairs by Hans Wegner are from Carl Hansen & Søn.

Antarctica - Setting foot on the 7th continent Private tour groups have been visiting Antarctica since 1969. Today there are lots of choices among operators sending ships, planes, and helicopters to Antarctica between November and March (the summer season). Many trips start in Southern Argentina, and ship-bound journeys include on-board lectures and access to experts on the ecology of the Antarctic during the cruise. Passengers can kayak around icebergs, or spend a day watching penguins, seals, and whales off the coast. Photo by: Christopher.Michel

North America - Biking the wine valleys of Northern California Almost half of the wineries in the United States are located in California, and many of those are in the valleys north of San Francisco. Wine tasting and winery tours are a drunkenly entertaining way to learn how grapes become wine, but the process involves more than crushing and fermenting grapes. One needs to see the agriculture that goes into America’s wine making, and touch the grapes on the vine, to really appreciate the drink. Work off that hangover by cycling along the winding roads of Napa and Sonoma. Photo by: needoptic

South America - Volunteering in the Peruvian Amazon The Peruvian Amazon is only home to 5% of Peru’s human population, but about 5,500 plant species and 760 animal species unique to Peru live here. Animal rehabilitation centers protect sections of this diverse ecosystem, and trained conservationists help create a safe place for wounded and sick animals. The goal of these reserves is to release healthy animals back into the jungle and teach visitors about the importance of the Amazon. Many encourage volunteers to become involved in the care and preservation of the Peruvian Amazon, giving them a firsthand understanding of the region's ecological diversity. Photo by: cavallotkd

The modern pool allows architects to bring the aesthetics of modern design and water together in harmony. These examples from around the world are designed to fit their environments while maintaining their unique qualities and cohesiveness. The results are truly inspiring. To view our dream pools, click here.

Europe - Touring the cultural centers of Central and Eastern Europe Paris and Rome are beautiful, but there's more to Europe than taking the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower and eating gelato at the Colosseum. Eastern Europe is home to castles, cathedrals, world-famous symphonies, modern art museums, and great beer, wine, and pastries. The cities of Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, and Budapest are important cultural centers with citywide art and architecture dating back to the Renaissance. Charles Bridge in Prague has been standing since the 12th century, and Vienna’s city center is home to both Habsburg architecture and modern design. Photo by: Dimitry B

Africa - Summitting and safariing in Tanzania At 19,341 feet, Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa. It takes a minimum of six to eight days to reach the summit, during which climbers contend with not only changes in altitude, but changes in climate as well (snowstorms occur close to Kilimanjaro's peak). But reaching the top via one of six routes is a serious achievement, and offers the chance to see both Tanzania and Kenya from above. Serengeti National Park is a five-hour drive, or short flight, from Kilimanjaro airport and is home to some of Tanzania’s biggest animals, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, and rhinos. The park has safari lodges and campsites, and tour operators organize excursions throughout the park. Photo by: Tambako the Jaguar

Asia - Exploring nature and culture in China The Chengdu region of China is home to the world's largest population of Giant Pandas. Panda reserves in and around Chengdu focus on protecting the bear’s natural habitat and researching their behavior (best job ever?). Certain reserves allow volunteers to interact with and care for these endangered species. Elsewhere in China, Beijing has some of the country's most important cultural landmarks. Principal among them is the Forbidden City, built during the Ming Dynasty and now home to the Palace Museum. Xi’an, located between Beijing and Chengdu, has the Terra Cotta Warriors archaeological site. This necropolis was originally built for Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, and is thought to have contained over 4,000 life-size soldiers and other figures sculpted out of terracotta. Photo: Chi King

Australia - Transitioning from Outback to tropics by train Riding the Ghan makes for a three-day transcontinental train journey over the plains, deserts, and mountains of central Australia. The route starts either near the beaches of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, or north in Darwin. In between, travelers get a sense of the continent's changing environment as they trundle to Alice Springs, from which a six-hour drive will bring them to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Near the top of the Northern Territory, travelers can stop at Katherine and spend a day at nearby Nitmiluk National Park, a tropical counterpoint to the arid Outback. Photo by: huskyte77

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Inside, the coop is lined with oriented strand board (OSB) and fitted with cans of food and water. Though Snyder designed a large door so he and Martin can access the inside of the coop to clean it, he forgot that to get to the door, they'd have to crawl through the chickens' run. "That's the one think I would have changed," he says. "We're both pretty short but we still have to crouch down to get through."

California Dreams from 2008 pays homage to our home state, and kicks off with an amazing cover story on twin homes in La Jolla by architect Sebastian Mariscal. Photo by: Bryce Duffy

Castle's "Like a Dream" sculpture doubles as a seat.

The living room features a sofa by Sits and a 1950 Hunting Chair by Børge Mogensen.

In the kitchen, the couple prepare a meal. The Multiform island is topped in Corian; the oven and hood is from Wolf.

The Kingston House abuts a rock shelf upon which architects Aaron Roberts and Thomas Bailey once sat, dreaming up ideas for the design.

“The floor is one of my favorite parts of the house, as it was a real challenge for the construction—we only had one chance.” —Henrik Lepasoon, resident