TEKI Design completed this 82.95-square-meter Blue Bottle Coffee café in Harajuku, Tokyo. A continuous stainless-steel surface draws the alley into the interior, while layered plaster walls, a pale-blue reflective ceiling, and soft light carve out a lingering ‘patch of sky’ between dense buildings. Through precise material control, the compact project transforms an urban gap into a calm brand experience and a noteworthy example of Tokyo’s small-scale commercial architecture.

Johnsen Schmaling Architects designed Curtain House as a 307.14-square-meter residence on a narrow urban site in Milwaukee. Gradually rotating timber-and-aluminium louvers regulate daylight, privacy, and southern solar exposure, while a linear courtyard reorganises family life across three levels. The responsive facade operates like an architectural curtain, establishing a precise balance between structure, climate, openness, and enclosure within a dense residential setting.

Estúdio Cajalima completed Sanduteca within a 60-square-meter unit at Galeria Metrópole in São Paulo. An open sandwich-assembly counter connects views between the ground floor and mezzanine, while white ceramic tiles, red pigmented cement, blue perforated metal, and stainless steel turn the idea of a ‘flavour library’ into a visible production space. Its compact scale and vivid palette make food preparation part of the cultural life of the gallery and surrounding district.

Herzog & de Meuron transformed a disused military antenna tower more than 3,000 meters above sea level on Switzerland’s Mount Titlis into a new alpine landmark. By reusing the existing structure, the project responds to extreme weather, panoramic views, and the demands of tourism infrastructure, establishing a powerful dialogue between technical utility, architectural experience, and the natural spectacle of the Alps.

Atelier MEME completed this 145.75-square-meter timber house in Nikko, Japan, using a spiral plan of differently scaled cubic volumes. Private rooms are concealed within the ‘rocks’, while the living and dining areas occupy the spaces released between them. Small openings, undulating ceilings, and an integrated waterproofing strategy respond to mountain views, neighbourhood privacy, and the family’s changing routines, creating a domestic landscape that invites movement and discovery.

JAK Architecture completed Cathedral House on a hillside in Thornton, Victoria, Australia. Two L-shaped wings enclose a courtyard, swimming pool, and outdoor living areas, while board-formed concrete, timber, and full-height glazing respond to views of the Cathedral Ranges, cross-ventilation, and bushfire risk. Settling low into the terrain, the house balances expansive mountain views with sheltered spaces designed for long-term family use.

BodinChapa Architects completed this 446-square-meter residence in Bangkok, organising arrival and family life around a detached carport, raised entrance, and central courtyard. Linear skylights, integrated cabinetry, reflective stainless steel, and curved white volumes balance privacy, daylight, and everyday use. The restrained spatial order provides a durable framework capable of adapting to the household’s changing needs over time.

U.GA Architects shaped this 454-square-meter mixed-use facility in Busan’s Jeonpo-dong with layered walls of board-formed concrete. Narrow circulation, an elliptical pool, and elevated urban terraces form a vertical journey from enclosure and pause to renewed engagement with the neighbourhood. Set within a former industrial district now transformed into a commercial and cultural quarter, Urban Egg uses material weight and bodily movement to create a quiet refuge from the city’s intensity.

SpActrum completed The Invisible House in the mountain forests of Tonglu, Hangzhou, responding to a site shaped by two decades of natural growth by allowing the 705-square-meter building to recede into the landscape. Restrained massing, a tree-sensitive layout, and subtly defined boundaries place the forest and terrain at center stage, offering a low-impact model for experiencing nature near the city.

Ming Architects completed this 900-square-meter tropical residence in Singapore. An L-shaped volume embraces a 25-metre swimming pool and garden, while sliding aluminium screens, deep overhangs, cross-ventilation, and a mature rain tree balance street-facing privacy with open family life. By integrating shade, airflow, landscape, and social space into a continuous experience, Glade House demonstrates an active climatic approach to contemporary tropical living.

SAGA Space Architects designed EcoNeo in Asnæs, Denmark, to accommodate a family of four within only 35 square metres. Sleeping lofts, an indoor sauna, natural materials, parametric prefabrication, and a circadian-control system are integrated into a low-impact housing prototype. By making every area serve multiple purposes and using digital fabrication to reduce construction waste, the project demonstrates how a compact summerhouse can combine comfort, wellbeing, and environmental responsibility.

Alexis Dornier rotated a square house 45 degrees within a near-rectangular site in Bali, creating a central light court and a family of triangular gardens around the perimeter. Circulation loops around the courtyard, while dispersed guest pavilions and a monolithic stair clad in Kerobokan volcanic stone organise the 990-square-meter tropical residence. Villa Suki combines a quiet inward-looking core with open living spaces oriented toward the surrounding gardens.

PAVA architects divided this 1,200-square-meter hotel in Chiang Khan, Thailand, into a low-density village of timber pavilions arranged around triangular courtyards. Reclaimed hardwood, earth plaster made on site, ponds, and mature trees respond to the Mekong landscape, tropical climate, and local craft traditions. Paths and courtyards reveal the complex gradually, creating a place-specific hospitality experience between the pace of town life and the calm of the river.

TJAD and DCA completed this 9,314-square-meter museum along the lakeshore of the Anhui University of Arts campus in Hefei. A 60-degree tri-directional grid organises galleries, courtyards, stepped circulation, and rooftop routes, while black pitched roofs, white walls, and timber screens form a walkable contemporary interpretation of a Hui-style ‘art village’. The building connects campus circulation, public exhibitions, and the lakeside landscape in a significant recent cultural project.

TORAFU ARCHITECTS designed the Tokyo flagship store for Norwegian jewellery brand TOM WOOD. A 7.2-metre central glass showcase organises circulation through the 300-square-meter interior, linking a timber lounge, archive wall, service areas, and a visible jewellery laboratory. The restrained portal facade connects the street with the brand’s material world, allowing browsing, making, and informal rest to overlap within one bright and carefully controlled retail environment.