Thermal mass

The open-air Casa Caoba tiny home in Colombia utilizes passive cooling and natural materials. With five walls framing jungle views and indoor-outdoor living, it's a natural refuge boasting the use of unconventional eco-design.

Mexican architectural firm HW Studio has created a stunning family home that disappears into the ground. The Hill in Front of the Glen reinvents the classic Hobbit home, boasting a design that seamlessly vanishes into the natural landscape.

While undoubtedly modern, there’s an unassuming beauty to Cherem Arquitectos’ Casa Candaleria. It’s the perhaps the choice of materials that is most understated: the house is built from the Earth on which it stands.

Crofthouse by Australian architect James Stockwell was recently awarded the Sustainable Architecture prize as part of the 2013 Victorian Architecture Awards. The eco-home, which almost looks like a grounded space craft, was described by the judges as a standout entry from a field of 240 buildings.