There are moments in life where we feel like moving away from the real world to take a step back. But not everyone has the resources to create there own hideouts.
So lets take a moment and look at the houses who have owners fortunate enough to build their dreams.
- Dugout house in Texas, USA
Embedded 6.5 feet (2 m) in the ground, this house looks like a simple dugout from the outside. Inside, however, it has everything for a comfortable life, even a small pool in the backyard.
- Bungalow under pine trees in British Columbia, Canada
Unusual planning and green moss on the roof help this house completely merge into the landscape
- Houses on top of a shopping mall in Hunan, China
This shopping mall with houses on its roof is located in a city of 4 million people with little free space. That’s why architectural solutions here are sometimes a bit nonstandard.
- Canyon mansion in Utah, USA
This house was built in 1986 by a married couple whose dream was to live in a quiet place.
- Villa Vals in Vals, Switzerland
The reason behind the idea of an underground villa was a local law: the authorities forbade erecting a high building since that would spoil the landscape.
- Cliff house in Coquimbo, Chile
This submarine-looking house has two levels, one of which is underground.
- Lake chalet in Hordaland, Norway
The main goal of this project was a full integration with the landscape, and the architects did their best to achieve it.
- Desert oasis in California, USA
This weird house resembling a heap of dead leaves from afar is located in a Californian desert.
- The Mirrorcube hotel in Lapland, Sweden
The outer walls of this building are faced with glass and coated with a layer of infrared film so that birds can recognize it as an obstacle.
- Penthouse in a rock in Beirut, Lebanon
Initially, no one believed in the idea of a house built into a rock, but the project attracted lots of potential investors after a photo of it was put on the Web. It was ultimately taken by a Lebanese real-estate agency.
Bonus: Cliff Retreat project
Despite what your imagination might have told you, this is but a Photoshopped image by VisualizingArchitecture.com’s Alex Hogrefe. In 9 steps, he explains how he crafted the design, paying special attention to the crashing waves and fog.