At first glance this unusual structure in a suburban plot on the outskirts of Madrid looks more like an industrial installation than a family home.

As we freeze our socks off in the frigid northern European winter, our fantasies turn to the sunny shores of Australia with its promises of sun, sand and beautifully designed houses.

After the excesses of Christmas, wouldn't it be great to start the new year in a state of zen?

Fed up with city life?  Long for an escape to the rural idyll but can't quite afford a country mansion?

Concrete and wood are great design bedfellows, as this slick and serene house in Bregenz by Dietrich Untertrifaller Architected illustrates.

It is rare to find a contemporary house as in tune with its surrounding landscape as the Haus am Weinberg, designed by architects UNStudio.

Those who fancy a water feature in their backyard should take a closer look at the Newberg Residence designed by Cutler Anderson Architects, winner of the American Institute of Architects 2016 Housing Award for excellence in housing design.

Summer is here and our mind turns to... ski?

If the greatest trick the architect ever pulled is to make a building disappear, then Kois Associated Architects must be master magicians of the trade.

If your idea of sustainable living conjures up images of ramshackle farmhouses with free roaming pigs and disproportionately large wind turbines you should take a look at this futuristic villa designed by Paul de Ruiter Architects.

Perched on a rocky outcrop on the eastern coast of Taiwan overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a low slung villa which combines a strong masculine design with naturalistic touches which fits in with the landscape perfectly.

The Netherlands is famous for its flowers and also for its great design, so it is perhaps appropriate that Amsterdam-based UNStudio would design a house in the province of North Holland that somewhat resembles a flower.