Perched above the town of Jackson with a spectacular view over the valley of the Grand Teton National Park, the "gabled" chalet inspired by traditional American farmhouses looks like something that has always belonged there: the silver cedar shingle roof harmonises with the colours of nature, while the mighty stone walls create an "a-temporal" envelope that over the years - among mosses, lichens and spontaneous vegetation - will blend more and more into its context.

An intimate and private retreat nestled in the maple and pine forests of Vermont, where one can find a warm and familiar atmosphere in full contact with nature: this is what this compact 70-square metre house on three levels looks like, with spectacular views of the Green Mountains to the west and the Worcester Range to the east. The palette of simple, natural materials such as steel, wood and concrete that characterise the exterior and interior draws inspiration from the surrounding unspoilt landscape and gives the home a rough but welcoming aura.

Designed by Kundig in collaboration with the client couple, Faulkner Architects, the residence nestled among the California pines on the Nevada border is articulated in plan so as to preserve the existing trees and create a protected inner courtyard. The building is characterised by a juxtaposition of distinct volumes: the main body, low and "dilated", made of exposed concrete with large glazed openings, and the "tree house" - as the architects call it - a three-storey building clad in cortén steel, housing guest rooms and a panoramic terrace with a view of the Northstar Ski Resort.

Designed as a family "buen retiro" in a wooded area amidst pastures, ponds and rural buildings from the last century, the house literally "tiptoes" into its context, articulating itself in plan to respect the existing fir and cedar planting. The construction, with single-storey "box-like" volumes arranged on a rough-hewn stone base, is characterised by the contrast between material surfaces - in wood, cement and stone - and diaphanous surfaces - in glass and steel - according to a contemporary, vaguely modernist interpretation of traditional local architecture.

The term “Vogel”, "bird" in Dutch, indicates the architectural form of this 242 square metre residence composed of two one-storey buildings connected by a glazed atrium, which open at different angles towards the garden, evoking a wingspan. Situated on a 26-acre plot surrounded by woods, on a rise overlooking a pasture and a pond, the residence is built using sustainable building techniques, from prefabricated and modular construction technology to the geothermal heating and cooling system. The light cedar plank cladding creates a chromatic contrast with the metal window frames and the dark sheet metal of the impluvium roofing.