The main living area is connected to the back unit by a modern bridge. Polished concrete is used for both floors and ceilings, and a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Stool accents the space.

The metal cladding, inspired by a nearby zinc mine, continues seamlessly onto the house’s roof for a minimalist shed effect. “The drip edge turns to make the wall,” explains architect Brandon Pace, “but changes above the window to accommodate a downspout. Any place where the metal contacts glass, or where you walk underneath, we have an internal gutter.”

Adding 290 square feet to this already small (just 566 square feet) black A-frame in Brecht, Belgium, was all the local building ordinances allowed, but the architects at dmvA found that a single wing extended out to the side gave resident Rini van Beek all the storage and living space that she needs.

Four distinct structures make up the house. Their design echoes the shape of an older, gabled-roof building already on site. “We considered the neighboring construction quite interesting in terms of scale and layout,” de Carvalho says. “Due to the proximity, we felt the necessity to integrate it in the design.”

The long, lean Kobayashi complex includes a bathroom and storage room in the structure on the far right.

The cantilevered sleeping loft posed a structural challenge. "The structure is simple, however we explored a number of options for supporting the cantilevered loft," Eerkes says. "But after comparing costs for large trusses versus a big glulam beam—including labor costs for construction of each—the simplicity of a two-foot glulam beam won out. The steel rod cross bracing provided lateral stability in the longitudinal direction."

In London, students from the Architectural Association used beech trees leftover from thinning a forest at their school’s Dorset campus to craft a delicately framed shelter. Via Dezeen

The Embassy of Luxembourg in Bangkok, Thailand, funded the construction of dormitories to accommodate student refugees from Myanmar. The first structure was completed in four weeks and can accommodate 25 students. Via ArchDaily

It’s important to confirm that there are no rotten columns, beams, or other damaged supporting elements before you buy a home.

For Karina Inzunza, Graham Barker, Melana Janzen, and John McMinn (pictured left to right), a shared vacation home on Georgian Bay was the perfect opportunity to pool resources, split costs, and create an extended family unit.

Long and low, the Ochre Barn began its life as a threshing barn in the 1850s.

OPA built the Loop structure to “slump” onto the site. Orinda, California. © OPA.

The open living-and-bedroom area of Ian Hague’s rural retreat can be divided by a wall that rises from within the master-suite platform. Interior designer Elaine Santos blended her client’s collection of vintage furniture with no-fuss pieces like a Shaker-style bench by Ilse Crawford for De La Espada.

Kiosks in Shells for Sparrow Hills (Wowhaus: Moscow, Russia) These temporary structures provide a respite to those heading to the former Lenin Hills area of Moscow.

Kiyoko Loh relaxes inside a concrete structure, one of three original buildings that occupied the San Francisco property she and her husband, Elliot Loh, purchased in 2012. Working with architect Todd Davis, the couple decided to cut the bunker-like edifice in half and use it as an outdoor dining area that opens to a courtyard.

The living room structure soars to two stories, with banks of glass louvers at the upper level providing cross ventilation.

A pool and outdoor kitchen make entertaining easy: a grill, dishwasher, and sink are just steps away. Since the stovetop is situated under the porch roof, careful ventilation is required, McInturff says.

Though diminutive in size, Jerome A. Levin’s backyard structure has lofty ambitions. “I wanted to create a place that feels like it has no connection to the world it stems from,” Levin says. Photo by Dustin Cohen.

Barker, a software executive and former professional drummer, describes the challenge of the project as such: "It’s the expression of two commingling family structures, with respect for the need for individuality at times."

#4: Outdoor classrooms. Architect Burton Baldridge donated his services to Casis Elementary, his daughter’s large public school in Austin, Texas, to design and build an outdoor classroom that would augment an organic gardening program.

The two structures meet at the cottage’s northeastern end, where the contrast between them—the rough warmth of local stone and the rusty patina of Cor-Ten steel—is most striking.

"The project is a tribute to the majesty of nature and to the people of Norway," says Schluchtmann, "who not only settled on and cultivated this land, but also have the courage and the taste to add something to these special places that puts the crowning touch on the whole thing."

A cluster of black and white houses gives a view of the possible origami creations from the Archifold Architectural Origami Set.

The Deskstructure series from Seletti is a clever take on desktop storage. Crafted in fine porcelain, this organizer celebrates the familiar scene of a cityscape, and ha room for pens and pencils, paperclips and tacks, and other small desk items that need organization on a desk. Fans of architecture can create their own graphic display, or spread the buildings out in an office space for a distinct look. Also available in ship and warehouse structures.

Hecker also argues that the structure's form helps it to adapt to hilly and irregular terrain. Photo by Zvi Hecker.

Once a water mill, this cabin suitable for folklore was built by a Serbian painter. He constructed several cabins on the shores of the river in the Bosnian village of of Zelenkovac.

The artist's iteration of the club for the Whitney Biennial this spring echoes the courtyard's geometry, but defies its austerity with a bohemian interior. The words "break the ice" glow in neon. A table with refreshments is flanked by Marcel Breuer Cesca chairs.

Wooden beams extend beyond the structure to create shading trellises for the terraces at the front and the back of architect Ray Kappe's Los Angeles home.