"It is something that seems at home in the forest, but at the same time, it’s strikingly strange,” notes Kivi.

A view into the airy, light-filled kitchen of 51 Nebraska by Todd Davis Architecture. The updated midcentury home pays homage to its roots.

A Seattle family tasked Atmosphere Design Build with creating a sustainable dwelling in Nevada City, California, the matriarch's hometown and a historic mining community. The firm's material-driven approach channels the pioneer spirit of the gold rush, without compromising comfort or high-efficiency standards.

Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.

Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.

Rice surfs the net at the built-in desk.

Casa JB at night.

Most impressive of all, a solar array on the roof empowers the residents to produce more energy than they consume on-site.

A view of the installation at the House for Contemporary Art in Belgium.

Numen's Net, occupied by gallery attendees.

A wide and airy bathroom features sliding partition doors and curved panoramic windows.

Kelly Lamb's Geo Planters

At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.

Metal shingles cut from scraps of sheet metal mix with new material as well as odds and ends, such as a road sign Baker bought at the Alameda Flea market. Baker designed stainless steel clips that allow any tile to be easily moved or replaced without the use of tools. Planter box panels add functionality to the facade and can be swapped out or relocated throughout the year.

An aerial view of Casa JB shows its three volumes.

Rather than a one-off custom piece, Baker designed the daybed as a prototype and worked with Ohio Design on its fabrication.

The Catch lamp is based on a butterfly net.

“These are homes that are truly sustainable—they don’t create any waste in fabrication, and there’s no waste onsite.” —Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Minarc. Photos by Art Gray.

“There’s no drilling or chopping,” says Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, cofounder of Minarc. “It’s a very elegant way to build.” Photos by Art Gray.

Credit: www.csphoto.net

Project Name: Martis Camp, CA Website: www.cleverhomes.net

On facing adversity: Of course, when I became a draftsman, the next thing is, I said, "I better get to college." I applied to Pratt and was accepted at their night school. I was progressing pretty rapidly in this firm. Quite frankly, I stayed at this firm for a period of four years. The reason I left this firm was my mentor at the firm...had given me all of these assignments. I was the only one that was allowed to work overtime. I was working on an assignment in Atlanta and it came time for someone to go to Atlanta. All of the sudden another person was put on the team and sent to Atlanta. It was a young, white, male architect that basically came into this assignment that I worked on for so long. [My mentor] was protecting me because Atlanta was a racist town. This is where diversity comes into play today. I grew up with that sort of stuff. I don't want to see it anymore in my life. (Above: IBM Watson – 51 Astor Place, designed by The Switzer Group)

On starting his own firm after several interim jobs: I started The Switzer Group in 1975 with the secretary and myself. A big client to start...a fairly decent-sized project. Of course, the rest is history. I built that one client, to my second client, to a client that I have today, which is still my largest client, IBM. We handle [them] from Maine, to Florida, to Texas, Germany. (Above: IBM Watson – 51 Astor Place by The Switzer Group)

Is the design field getting more diverse? Absolutely! Compared to twenty years ago, compared to thirty years ago. I think clients today, most of them, are opening the doors. There's always going to be a certain client that's going to go back to the same architect no matter what. There [are] categories that people get put into. I will say that, the opportunities for this firm have been equally as good as any other firm. If we're given that opportunity, that's all I ask for. We believe we're good competitors and solid citizens in terms of [how] we preform our services. (Above: IBM Watson – 51 Astor Place, designed by The Switzer Group)

Ichiro Iwasaki's Tag stool for Discipline.

NET was founded by renowned architect Alejandro Sticotti in 1990. The firm prefers to use South American hardwoods that, in addition to being durable, anchor their products in their Argentine origins. For instance, the Silla ska chair (seen here) is made from lenga, a patagonian wood that resembles American cherry. The satin black floor lamp is also from NET.

Bullitt Center (Seattle, Washington: 2013) Denis Hayes, chief executive of the Bullitt Foundation, said that if the Bullit Center, his organization’s ambitious experiment in creating a sustainable and “living” office building, is still the greenest space of its kind in a decade, it will have been a failure. That’s not bragging, that’s merely an insight into the scope and ambition of this revolutionary structure, a testing ground for water and energy self sufficiency (via rainwater collection, composting, and a large solar array) aiming to be a case study for radical change in how we build. Based on stats released on Earth Day in April, the building’s first anniversary, the structure is currently using 75 percent less energy than a similar structure and is on its way to a net zero energy certification. Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

New York-based firm Khanna Schultz built a net-positive home in the Hamptons inspired by Japanese design.

Element House (prototype architectural dwelling using modular components) by MOS.

Perched above a pond on 14 acres in Champaign, Illinois, this hut was designed for enjoying tea and meditation. Dominating the 97-square-foot structure is a butterfly roof, which channels rainwater to a central spout to be directed to the pond. Adding to the zen experience are water reflections that are projected onto the soffit throughout the day.

Accessed by a ladder with alternating treads, the sleeping loft features custom casework by Kevin P. Clarke Custom Woodwork that holds Kid Robot figurines, Hopi baskets, and an iPhone gramophone by Lawrence LaBianca. Lights by Pablo Designs are perched atop a bed that Baker designed. Peeking out from under the rug (made by Baker’s mother, Emilie) is a salvaged maple floor, which was finished with VOC-free flaxseed oil.

Sticotti cites a mixture of design inspiration from Japan, Scandinavia, and European designers who emigrated to the Unites States. A simplicity and honest expression of materials is evident in this coatrack made from peteribí and lapacho, both South American woods.

Designed and prototyped by David Baker Architects, the building’s siding was made from salvaged maple flooring left over from another project. Inspired by the Japanese and Finnish practice of finishing exterior wood by charring, Baker used a roofing torch to char the boards and screwed them into vertical cedar battens.

A bath overlooks the central water feature. A ladder leads up to a suspended net that's perfect for lounging.

Overhead, a 102-square-foot skylight fills the interior with daylight that streams through the catamaran net, where Ulla lounges.

The compact 712-square-foot cottage sits on top of a 430-square-foot workshop, where Baker’s firm prototypes and produces custom furnishings for his practice. “Not only is there room for more density on most residential blocks in San Francisco, but, if thoughtfully conceived, it also enriches our communities and makes our cities more resilient,” Baker says.