Concrete houses

To minimise the building's impact on the environment, its electricity is generated by solar panels. There is no need for mechanical air conditioning, thanks to the open-air design, and the building's structure also incorporates passive cooling.

The first volume, which serves as the main living space, is a two-storey block. It contains an open but sheltered lounge and dining area on the lower level, while the first floor accommodates a bedroom and study.

The house combines a range of architectural forms and motifs, including arched doorways, oak shutters, colonnade-style columns, a floating staircase and overhanging roof slabs.

This architectural diversity is mirrored by the landscape, which incorporates tiered terraces, a swimming pool, meandering pathways and a range of plant life that includes chikoo, mango and banana trees.

A rugged wall made from locally sourced grey stone separates this block from a large pavilion, which serves as an events space for the local community.

Living spaces are either fully open, or able to be opened up with the use of sliding and folding shutters. Some rooms are also elevated to take full advantage of the impressive views.

Located on a site where Chandrashekar had already been practising organic farming, the 487-square-metre house was designed around a desire to create a connection with nature.

Named Ksaraah, the house is a family weekend home for one of the studio's principal architects, Shalini Chandrashekar.

The house sits on eight columns that raise the house above ground level so it is surrounded by the tropical vegetation that grows in the city.

Another private home built from the bulky concrete forms that he became known for is Casa Masetti, a 1970 house designed for the engineer Mário Masetti.

Stone and concrete layers form Casa SAB by PSV Arquitectura.

Large floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of the swimming pool and the smaller pools between the two volumes.

Casa Bell-Lloc is located in Santa Teresa, a small town in Costa Rica's Puntarenas Province that is known for its pristine beaches and great surfing.

Casa Bell-Lloc by architecture office Studio Saxe is a concrete house featuring expansive coastal views and a swimming pool that reaches toward the sea.

The building is composed of two intersecting single-storey blocks that flank a central garden and poolside terrace. Each block culminates in a sloping surface intended to give the impression that the house is emerging from the ground.

The house's walls are constructed entirely from board-marked concrete, which was specified to provide a tonality and texture that complements the natural surroundings.