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The best houses of 2023

We selected the best houses published on Domus during the year: evolutionary, in dialogue with nature and landscape, not only and necessarily built around humans alone.

We can say that 2023 helped us give content to an expression that would otherwise risk sounding quite vague: evolutionary living. What does it mean? The houses we have selected from those published along 2023 are capable of transforming themselves along time following new needs and stories, they are reuse projects – again, as for the interiors, we are very close the broad concept of renovation – but above all they are projects that establish new dialogues between indoor and outdoor, between human settlement and all the other components of what we call nature: ground, greenery, forests, animals. Boundaries are blurred, and scrolling through the selection the center of the scene shifts more and more from the human to other players: certainly not a complete and closed discourse, it is rather a subject, a realm to be explored more than ever, as we will explore the houses of the coming years.

Argentina: brutalist “resistance” in the mountains

Agustín Berzero, Manuel González Veglia (TECTUM), Casa Taller, La Paisanita, Córdoba, Argentina 2021

Photo Federico Cairoli

Agustín Berzero, Manuel González Veglia (TECTUM), Casa Taller, La Paisanita, Córdoba, Argentina 2021

axonometric cross section

The house designed by Agustín Berzero and Manuel González Veglia near Córdoba, Argentina, is a manifesto of "resistance" against a concept of immaterial and evanescent architecture as the result of contemporary “liquid” society, to quote Zygmunt Bauman, and of the virtual universe of hyper-technology and hyper-connectivity which increasingly replaces matter with image, the object with its representation. Read more

A house set among houses in Lisbon

An intervention in the consolidated urban fabric fits gracefully into the context without renouncing its strong connotation, thanks to material erosions and playful reflections. Read more

... and a house set in the grounds of a forest in Slovakia

The house set in the ground generously opens up towards the natural landscape, framed as the undisputed protagonist of the scene. Read more

A house in between archeology and the Canadian landscape

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Ground floor plan

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

First floor plan

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Overview section

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Section 1:20

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Photo © Fahim Kassam, courtesy of Bocci

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Ground floor plan

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

First floor plan

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Overview section

Omer Arbel Office, 75.9 House, Vancouver

Section 1:20

“Overall, I think 75.9 was designed after my studio understood its mission, which is to seek form in the ways we manipulate materials.” This is how Omer Arbel comments on his latest creation: an architectural marvel nestled within a picturesque hay field in northwestern Canada, not far from Vancouver. Read more

A garden-home in Ecuador

Al Borde, Casa-jardín, Conocoto, Equador 2020. Photo JAG Studio

Photo JAG Studio

Al Borde, Casa-jardín, Conocoto, Equador 2020. Photo JAG Studio

Photo JAG Studio

Al Borde, Casa-jardín, Conocoto, Equador 2020. Photo JAG Studio

Al Borde, Casa-jardín, Conocoto, Equador 2020.

Photo Al Borde

The Ecuadorian studio Al Borde has designed the house for a client who has studied ecology as an ecosystem envisioning a new relationship between man and nature. The dwelling's water closet and bathing area are located in two volumes independent from the main body, turning the external garden into the circulation space. Read more

An “imperfect” house in Bangkok

Architect Boonserm Premthada has designed a manifesto house for his family, relying on the inevitable ‘human error’ as an implicit requirement of any artistic expression. Read more

Full-height vertical volumes for a brick house in Catalonia

The single-family house in Granollers, Catalonia, totally renovated by Harquitectes is nestled between two buildings facing the street. The structure, with its facade characterised by red bricks, is 14 metres both in height and depth. The renovated building is taller than the original one, to let in more light – the layout of the houses in the neighbourhood obstructed its entrance – and makes the most of the available space, within the limits of the area’s urban planning regulations. Read more

An Australian house where technical solutions becomes aesthetic design

Close to the city of Melbourne, studio MI-JI has completed the design for a home in which the use of material and the arrangement of volumes generate unexpected relationships in the domestic space. Situated in a flooding area, AB House is detached from the ground, defining a relationship of lightness, constructing a series of raised platforms that mediate between outdoor and indoor space. Read more

Mecanoo, Villa BW, Schoorl, The Netherlands 2022.

Construction phases.

Mecanoo studio has recently completed Villa BW, a house built in the rolling countryside that characterizes the Dutch polders. This unstable landscape, which alternates dunes, water basins, and woodlands, and is characterized by a particular game of light, shadow, and reflections, is reinterpreted in the development of the cladding. Read more

A grid of concrete columns as a matrix for an ever-evolving house in Argentina

The house designed by Iñaki Harosteguy of Supra Order & Hargar studio is located in Villa Elisa, Buenos Aires. House with Columns seems to be the result of a game in which multiple configurations can be tested while still ensuring the logical order of a structural matrix. Read more

Pasparakis Friel, Saltpans Cottage, Rathmullan, Co. Donegal, Ireland 2022

south east elevation - proposed

Pasparakis Friel, Saltpans Cottage, Rathmullan, Co. Donegal, Ireland 2022

south west elevation - existing

Pasparakis Friel, Saltpans Cottage, Rathmullan, Co. Donegal, Ireland 2022

south west elevation - proposed

A scrupulous and delicate restoration pays homage to the vernacular architecture and the chromatic and material characteristics of the Irish landscape. Read more

Reshaping the 80s through pure geometries: a house in the Netherlands

roof detail

Photo Lorenzo Zandri

Space Encounters Amsterdam renovated and transformed a 1980s house in Broek op Langedijk, the Netherlands. Until land consolidation in the early 1970s, the villages near the dam, were divided into hundreds of small islands accessible only by boat. Some of these have over time become nature reserves while some have taken on a residential character by housing buildings characterised mainly by sloping roofs. Read more

The extension of a 1960s home in Brazil, open to artists

A simple steel frame, made dynamic by a system of curtains, completes the renovation of an existing building, challenging traditional notions of living space and performance space. Read more

Raúl Almenara, Casa Nogal, Avila, Spagna 2023

Photo Juan Baraja

Raúl Almenara designed Casa Nogal, a country house in Avila, as a large stone in the rural landscape that bends one of its sides to make room for a majestic walnut tree in the courtyard. The geometry reads the farm plots' mosaic of the surrounding, reaching both the roads bordering the lot. Read more

The house a Japanese architect designed to fit his cats’ ways of living

Between height gaps, hideaways and privileged viewpoints, an architect's home-studio is tailored around “clients“ using tails rather than words to communicate. Read more

A smart home with unusual inhabitants: a technological, connected and sustainable chicken coop

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Developed by the namesake Austin-based startup and designed by Bould Design, this chicken coop is a little gem of IoT ingenuity.

Photos credits: COOP & Bould Design

Austin-based startup COOP has developed a connected chicken coop that brings “comfort and convenience” to both owners and chickens alike. The project was co-developed with Bould Design, a design studio best known for its work on the Nest Thermostat and the Eero Mesh WiFi System. Read more