In the last two years, the health emergency has forced many of us into the spaces at home, thus recreating the perception of domestic space. In the single-family residence, this is reflected in the design of domestic shelters almost always invaded by nature, useful to preserve the intimacy bubbles of the clients.
Here is a selection of our ten favorite homes published in recent months, between experiments in minimal spaces and plastic volumes. Focusing on the typology of the single-family house, we have selected projects from all over the world, from China and Japan to Colombia.
A “mushroom” house in a pine forest



ZJJZ, The mushroom house, 2020
View of the entrance. Vista di lato. Photo Fangfang Tian

ZJJZ, The mushroom house, 2020
The stairs separates the room and the bathroom. Photo Fangfang Tian

ZJJZ, The mushroom house, 2020
View of the entrance. Vista di lato. Photo Fangfang Tian

ZJJZ, The mushroom house, 2020
The stairs separates the room and the bathroom. Photo Fangfang Tian
The architectural form of the house is composed of two simple volumes organised by function. The largest part of the “mushroom” is the circular space of the guest room, with a panoramic window at eye level. The young Chinese studio ZJJZ has designed a small house surrounded by nature in a pine forest in Jiangxi province, China. Read the full article here.
The primitive light of Ensamble Studio



Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Daytime view of the pool hewn out of the stone. The interiors of Ca’n Terra are bare and follow a continuous processof adaptation of the inhabitants to the space accoeding to the hours of the day and seasons. This is why the project is a programmatic work in progress
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Aerial view of the quarry
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Night-time view of the pool hewn out of the stone
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Aerial view of the quarry
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Aerial view of the quarry
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
The internal view shows the translucent plastic screens with a metal frame that shelters the space while letting in the light
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
A boulder fell into the quadruple- height space when the opening was cut, bringing an olive tree with it. The cutting procedure was devised to bring natural ventilation and light into one of the deepest parts of the quarry. The layout was redefined after a high-precision 3D survey using infrared light
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Exterior facade
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Sections
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Crosso section
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Axonometric view
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Daytime view of the pool hewn out of the stone. The interiors of Ca’n Terra are bare and follow a continuous processof adaptation of the inhabitants to the space accoeding to the hours of the day and seasons. This is why the project is a programmatic work in progress
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Aerial view of the quarry
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Night-time view of the pool hewn out of the stone
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Aerial view of the quarry
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Aerial view of the quarry
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
The internal view shows the translucent plastic screens with a metal frame that shelters the space while letting in the light
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
A boulder fell into the quadruple- height space when the opening was cut, bringing an olive tree with it. The cutting procedure was devised to bring natural ventilation and light into one of the deepest parts of the quarry. The layout was redefined after a high-precision 3D survey using infrared light
Photo Iwan Baan

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Exterior facade
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Sections
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Crosso section
Drawing Ensamble Studio

Ensamble Studio, Ca’n Terra, Menorca, Spain, in progress
Axonometric view
Drawing Ensamble Studio
Ca’n Terra is a house of the earth, and was first just that, earth then a quarry, voiding its Mares stone. Subsequently it was used by the military as an ammunition dump during the Spanish Civil War and later abandoned, only to be rediscovered decades later and become architecture. The found space has an industrial logic, artistic potential as a sublime cavern carved by hand and a mineral nature as an extract of the stony landscape on the island of Menorca. Read the full article here.
In Portugal, a house that belongs to the land



Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon,House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
sketch

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
Bak Gordon, House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon,House in Grândola, Monte dos Patos, Grândola, Portugal 2021. Photo: Francisco Nogueira
sketch
And it is precisely in the vast Alentejo region, dotted with villages swept by the ocean wind and criss-crossed by endless expanses of fields, that Bak Gordon seems to have best understood and interpreted this message of a strong bond with an ancient and intensely preserved land. A single-family home evokes strong emotional bonds with the landscape, using pure volumes and chromatic choices of materials. Read the full article here.
A house “woven” into Colombia’s rural landscape



Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Ground floor plan and elevation

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
First floor plan and elevation

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Photo Federico Cairoli

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
Ground floor plan and elevation

Casa Tejida, Santiago Pradilla + Zuloark, Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2021
First floor plan and elevation
Created as a prototype of an ecological home for farmers on coffee plantations in the Cundinamarca region, Casa Tejida is not only physically woven, but also weaves the landscape in which it is rooted. In the municipality of Nocaima, not far from the Colombian capital of Bogotà, lives a rural community along a mountain path that is not easily accessible. Each of the 20 or so families living there has chosen to share the resources they cultivate with the rest of the community. Read the full article here.
Concrete volumes and hidden patios in a Portuguese villa

