The Most Drool-Worthy Homes Of The Week, 10/17/14

Another week, another chance to drool over places we would give anything to call home. On the docket: a couple spectacular oceanfront spreads, an upended giant cube in the mountains of Slovakia, and a groundbreaking flood-proof UK home that's designed to rise along with the water level.

Let's take a look.

Slovakia
Simply a concept (for now), this mind-bending cubic structure was proposed by the Czech architecture firm Atelier 8000 in an international design competition for a year-round lodge high up in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. The disorienting facade is a sleek and modern combination of aluminum, glass, and photovaltaic panels, while the bulk of the interior is covered in bare, unfinished wood. It may be worth learning to ski just to have an excuse to visit.

New Zealand
As much as we may romanticize the whole American Gothic ideal of a traditional "farmhouse," there's no denying that the one that sits cliffside high above the Bank Peninsula, wins. Formerly a dilapidated cottage, the newly renovated three-bedroom spread on a modest 4,000 acre lot was dreamed up by a NZ ex-pat and the firm Patterson Architects. Want.

United Kingdom
How do you feel about the rising sea levels? Freaked out your home will be swept away in a flood sometime soon? May want to do a little research into this ingenious amphibious house. Situated on an island in the middle of the River Thames, it sits on the ground under normal circumstances, but raises gently like a boat when subjected to a rising water level. Something tells us this sort of innovation will be hugely important as the weather grows increasingly unpredictable in the future.

Lebanon
This is the view from the first floor of the house pictured in the main photo above. Treated to a panoramic view of the Mediterranean, it's composed of a series of horizontal slabs, connected via a whole slew of staircases that flow between recreation and more private areas. The coolest part? At sunset, the house acts as a "photographic diaphragm," which fills even the furthest removed areas with light.

California
This converted barn-like setup in California's Petaluma Valley sits on what was for many years a fallow ranch. These days, though, it's the 2,500-square foot home of a young family committed to sustainable farming. The structure itself, complete with floor-to-cathedral ceiling-windows, is now a LEED certified modern residence, and seems like one of the most serene stateside getaways we've seen in a while.


Joe McGauley is a senior editor at Supercompressor with a growing laundry list of reasons to visit New Zealand.