In 2022, “going out”, going out again, has become the watchword after two years of pandemic: in conceptual terms, the literal opposite to what the mission of a house is supposed to be.
The houses we have been selecting through the last twelve months, from Mexico to Portugal, from Argentina to Wales via Greece, have instead told us a lot about this specific subject. About how it has meant leaving the city and diving back into the landscape, but also returning to learn from that landscape, so fragile and endangered today, in a respectful dialogue. But also of how staying in the city has taken on new meanings and new ways of living, about establishing new connections with outdoor spaces, sometimes about finding “home” in unexpected places.
Best houses of 2022
Discover the selection of the 15 best houses we published this year: from cabins in the woods to hybrid urban villas, through a multiplicity of different dwelling experiments.
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- Giovanni Comoglio
- 14 December 2022
In Portugal, the extension of a rural building as a brutalist flirt
NaMora in Portuguese has two meanings: on the one hand it indicates the location of the intervention, "in Mora" ("Na Mora"), from the name of the site where the property is located; on the other it means "flirt" ("namora"). It is around this play on words that architects Filipe Pina and David Bilo have designed, in the small village of Gonçalo at the foot of the Serra da Estrela, the extension of a rural dwelling with which the new construction dialogues "flirting" amiably, in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Read the full article here
Designing contrasts: Villa Pavlovic by Neo Arhitekti
The Belgrade studio NEO_Arhitekti, formed by Snežana Vesnić, Vladimir Milenković and Tatjana Stratimirović, has been working for many years with the Pavlovic family, owners of the textile company Textil. In response to the request for a weekend retreat, the architects decided to balance closure and openness in this compact volume with round ends. Read the full article here
A villa in Slovakia winks at rationalism
In a quiet residential neighbourhood of Žilina, punctuated mainly by single-family dwellings surrounded by gardens, the building designed by Plural studio from Bratislava fits in with measured composure and in conformity with the neighbouring volumes without, however, renouncing its contemporary and sophisticated character in comparison with the more traditional neighbouring constructions. Read the full article here
Prefab tiny houses in the forests of Portugal
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
Photo © Fernando Guerra
© SUMMARY
© SUMMARY
© SUMMARY
© SUMMARY
© SUMMARY
© SUMMARY
© SUMMARY
Paradinha is a tourist complex in the Portuguese mountain landscape of Aldeia da Paradinha, Alvarenga. Summary, the firm in charge of the project, chose – also driven by the naturalistic conformation of the place – to divide the holiday structure into eleven small cabins, placing them on the plot and thus obtaining a village. A traditional building would in fact have been, in the words of the architects, “difficult and extremely expensive”. Read the full article here
A holiday retreat in Estonia blends into the landscape
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Madis Eek
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
Photo Toomas Tuul
The holiday home designed by Arhitektuuribüroo Eek & Mutso is located in a wooded area in Vääna-Jõesuu, near Tallinn, Estonia. Distinctive to the house is its gabled shape, used in the 1970s for the area’s cottages and made open and dynamic for this project. Read the full article here
In Belgium, glass cabins designed to learn from the landscape and save energy
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
Foto Nicolas da Silva Lucas
The tourist facility Domaine de la Roseraie, located in Belgium in a wooded area near Liège, very close to a Roman archaeological site, was renovated earlier this year to improve the site’s reception capacity. The project is part of a four-phase renovation project articulating in the restoration of the 19th century manor house and greenhouse, the creation of ten guest houses and the addition of a thermal bath. Read the full article here
A tree house without the tree
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Photo João Carranca
Tree houses are sometimes a refined combination of craftsmanship, design and technology, becoming to all intents and purposes small ‘architectures’ worthy of the name. This is the case of Cassiopeia, designed and built by Portuguese studio Madeiguincho Atelier, which for years has been combining architectural design and sophisticated carpentry skills in a single creative and executive process. Read the full article here
In Argentina, a house with sinuous shapes
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Photo Javier Agustín Rojas
Located in Ituzaingó, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Casa Rita is an organic house designed by Estudio Fernandez Renati. Organic architecture, which emerged in the early 20th century, aims for a balance between architecture and the natural site. Read the full article here
A small “palace” in Porto, inspired by a painting by Rosseau
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
Photo Ivo Tavares Studio
How can a small building of 40 square metres be called a 'palace'? If one does not give in to size prejudice, in fact this tiny but elegant piece of architecture has all the features of a precious jewel set in a lush garden that seems to have come straight out of Henri Rousseau's painting "The Dream", from which the designers of Fala Atelier drew their inspiration (minus the lions, elephants and exotic birds). Read the full article here
A shipping container becomes a low-budget beach house
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
Photo David Frutos
In Spain, in a village on the shore of the Menor Sea, a coastal lagoon in the southeastern region of the country, the architectural firm Xpiral has rehabilitated a small fishing house. Read the full article here
Domestic microcosms in the Mexican suburbs
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
Photos and drawings: © Associates Architecture
The new building is located in San Miguel de Allende, about 270 km north-west of Mexico City, in the Serra Madre mountains. Characterised by pastel-coloured buildings with colonial facades, the historic core of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city centre, consisting of 64 blocks, is laid out according to a regular grid, which in the suburbs dissolves into a disjointed, sometimes labyrinthine layout. In these neighbourhoods, the houses are informal, anonymous and develop in an introverted manner. And it is here that the residence designed by Associates Architecture is born. Read the full article here
In Milos, DECA Architecture rethinks the vacation house
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, Milos, Greece, 2020
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, ground floor plan
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, roof plan
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, section
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, section
DECA Architecture, Hourglass Corral, site plan and section
The Hourglass Corral, recently completed in Milos, Cyclades, by Athens-based firm DECA Architecture, offers itself as a possible exception to the rule. The holiday home is the most recent of the corrals that Carlos Loperena and Alexandros Vaitsos have realized over the last ten years on the island’s southern coast, over a panoramic area of approximately 90 thousand square meters. Read the full article here
A narrow vertical house on seven levels in Paris
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Vanessa Bosio
photo Vanessa Bosio
photo Vanessa Bosio
photo Vanessa Bosio
photo Vanessa Bosio
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Vanessa Bosio
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Cécilie Septet
photo Ajile
photo Ajile
photo Ajile
photo Cécilie Sptet
photo Cécilie Sptet
A residential nucleus of the early twentieth century located on top of a hill, the Butte Bergeyre is a district of the French capital that preserves intact the charm of a compact and green microcosm.
Here, on a plot of just 4.80 meters wide, the Parisian studio Ajile Architectes is responsible for the project of a private residence built on the ashes of a pre-existing building of 130 square meters. Read the full article here
Rhossili House strengthens relationship with landscape and community
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Photo David Grandorge
Rhossili House is located in the remote village of Rhossili on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales – a rural area of scenic and natural significance in Britain. Maich Swift Architects’ project, for a young family, consists of a new timber building and the refurbishment of a number of existing outbuildings, including a garage, facing Rhossili Bay. Read the full article here
In France, a holiday home with a sliding roof
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
Photo Sylvain Bonniol
A holiday home on the Atlantic coast, in the municipality of Le Pouliguen, France, has been renovated by Avignon Architecte placing a new architectural volume where the old veranda used to be. The attached block is located next to the main building, becoming an extension of it and assuming the function of a connector between inside and outside. Read the full article here