Situated between the reddish reliefs of the MacDonnell Mountains and the Uluru (Ayers Rock) massif, this dwelling - as the designer describes it - is "nestled into the landscape, utilising the thermal mass of the land to regulate the internal temperature". To protect the building from the extreme thermal fluctuations of the area, a large roof detached from the volume shadows the two-storey box-shaped structure, abundantly insulated and gathered around a central courtyard. Passive technologies ensure total autonomy in terms of energy production

The dwelling located on the edge of the Great Karoo is characterised by a bare and essential volume designed according to passive solar criteria which, thanks to the orientation and positioning of the openings and together with the study of cross-ventilation flows and thermal inertia, aim to guarantee micro-climatic well-being in an area of extreme temperatures. Constructed with local materials - from the exposed brick floors, to the thick walls of rough lime plaster, to the white ceramic tile cladding for both the interior and exterior - the building has a rough charm that makes it an artificial element perfectly inserted in its natural context.

Inspired by the angular shapes of the surrounding mountains and the colours of the desert, this dwelling with its bold geometries and mimetic colours blend harmoniously into the landscape. An articulated, generously overhanging pitched roof offers protection from the dazzling light. The rough rammed-earth and exposed concrete envelopes create a lively contrast to the light, translucent glass and steel surfaces.

Located in the remote area of Drigg in the Teton Valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the house rests on a rock foundation due to the geomorphological characteristics of the area, which is extremely humid and often subject to flooding. The boxy and essential forms of the wood-clad volumes give a pleasantly rough and informal character to the construction.

The residential complex of 18 flats is part of a new development of more than fifteen hectares and is designed to accommodate the workers of a neighbouring cement production plant. The apartments, all oriented north, north-east and north-west in response to the area's arid climate, are distributed in three-level volumes painted in the colours of desert sand (from white to bright yellow) that distinguish living spaces from distribution areas. All the flats are designed to benefit from natural cross-ventilation, thanks to the irregular arrangement of windows, loggias and terraces.

Designed for a family that, despite the hot Kuwaiti climate, prefers to spend most of its domestic life outside rather than under the lashing jets of air conditioning, this house with its essential volumes is structured around three interior gardens: from the one located 4m below street level, which is the coolest place, to the one in between, and the one on the roof where winter days and summer evenings can be pleasantly spent.

Nestled between the Peruvian desert and the ocean, this house surrounded by a "Martian" landscape - as the architects said - with a temperate climate seems to be an "extrusion" of the land. The horizontally oriented complex is articulated in 4 volumes with different heights, housing in sequence a garage for cars and the main entrance, the large open space for community life and the bedrooms. Simple and low-cost construction techniques were adopted in the construction, from the use of local pozzolan, which gives a reddish colour to the volumes and creates a dialogue with the adjacent rocks, to concrete cast in recycled wood formwork.

This house in the Nevada desert was intended by the clients - a couple of art collectors - as both an architecture with a distinctly contemporary language and a tribute to the frontier spirit of the West: this is how this three-storey building was conceived, with its angular shapes and sharp angles that recall the irregular and sharp character of the local rocks, completely clad in zinc sheets and exposed concrete on the outside. Wide, full-height glazed openings project the gaze towards the arid landscape outside.

Conceived as a collection of shipwreck fragments assembled by survivors of a shipwreck to shelter from the relentless wind and scorching sun of the Namibian desert, this 20-bed luxury lodge, with almost zero environmental impact, is a pleasant retreat in an extreme landscape. The constructions - from the main building to the individual cabins scattered along the edges of the dunes - are simple wooden volumes with a vaguely "nautical" flavour, with large windows or portholes, and a tapered shape to deflect the prevailing south-westerly wind.