{"id":724035,"date":"2026-01-27T11:29:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/724035\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T11:29:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:29:19","slug":"from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/724035\/","title":{"rendered":"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"js-image-size__link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/6975454627558a7a408b74ac-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" rel=\"attachment noopener\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats - Image 1 of 49\" data-nr-picture-id=\"6975454627558a7a408b74ac\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"580\" itemprop=\"image\" loading=\"eager\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/6975454627558a7a408b74ac-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/from-desert-to-forest-10-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_12.jpg\" style=\"min-height: var(--featured-height, auto); aspect-ratio: auto 580 \/ 580\" width=\"580\"\/><\/a>Desert Accommodation. Image \u00a9 WORS architects<\/p>\n<p>    Share<\/p>\n<p>Share<\/p>\n<ul class=\"afd-share__networks clearfix\">\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Facebook\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"facebook_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1038155\" data-social=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Twitter\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"twitter_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1038155\" data-social=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=From%20Desert%20to%20Forest%3A%208%20Unbuilt%20Houses%20Designed%20as%20Contemporary%20Retreats&amp;url=https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats&amp;via=archdaily\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>\n<p>Twitter<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"email_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1038155\" data-social=\"email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats&amp;body=https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\"><\/a>\n<p>Mail<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Pinterest\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"pinterest_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1038155\" data-social=\"pinterest\" href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F1038155%2Ffrom-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.adsttc.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F6975%2F4546%2F2755%2F8a7a%2F408b%2F74ac%2Flarge_jpg%2Ffrom-desert-to-forest-10-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_12.jpg%3F1769293151&amp;description=From%20Desert%20to%20Forest%3A%208%20Unbuilt%20Houses%20Designed%20as%20Contemporary%20Retreats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"afd-share__social\"><a aria-label=\"Whatsapp\" class=\"afd-share__button\" data-action=\"share\/whatsapp\/share\" data-insights-category=\"share\" data-insights-label=\"whatsapp_sharing_options\" data-insights-value=\"1038155\" data-social=\"whatsapp\" href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=From+Desert+to+Forest%3A+8+Unbuilt+Houses+Designed+as+Contemporary+Retreats+%7C+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F1038155%2Ffrom-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats%3Futm_source%3DWhatsapp%26utm_medium%3DIM%26utm_campaign%3Dshare-button\" rel=\"nofollow\"><\/a>\n<p>Whatsapp<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Or<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"251\" data-end=\"908\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/search\/projects\/categories\/residential-architecture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Residential architecture<\/a> remains one of the most active fields for unbuilt architectural exploration, offering a lens through which architects rethink how domestic space can respond to landscape, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/climate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">climate<\/a>, and contemporary patterns of living. In this Unbuilt edition,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> submitted by the ArchDaily community, <\/a>the selected proposals bring together a range of residential projects that engage with houses, villas, and retreats as sites of withdrawal, mediation, and everyday inhabitation. Rather than treating the home as a fixed or isolated object, these projects approach it as a spatial framework that negotiates exposure, privacy, and connection to place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"thumbs afd-desktop-e clearfix\"><a class=\"thumbs__link\" data-nr-picture-id=\"69754818a5818c018c57b2dc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/69754818a5818c018c57b2dc-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" rel=\"attachment noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats - Image 25 of 49\" class=\"thumbs__img b-lazy\" data-nr-picture-id=\"69754818a5818c018c57b2dc\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/from-desert-to-forest-10-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_25.jpg\" height=\"125\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/69754818a5818c018c57b2dc-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" title=\"Siridi \/ Fa\u00e7ade. Image \u00a9 Xenia Liodi\" width=\"125\"\/><\/a><a class=\"thumbs__link\" data-nr-picture-id=\"69754a0f27558a7a408b74bc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/69754a0f27558a7a408b74bc-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-image\" rel=\"attachment noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats - Image 37 of 49\" class=\"thumbs__img b-lazy\" data-nr-picture-id=\"69754a0f27558a7a408b74bc\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/from-desert-to-forest-10-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_38.jpg\" height=\"125\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/69754a0f27558a7a408b74bc-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-image\" title=\"Mataka Retreat. Image Courtesy of Roberts Gray Architects\" width=\"125\"\/><\/a><a class=\"thumbs__link\" data-nr-picture-id=\"69754c8a47d9d44e3b2dc104\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/69754c8a47d9d44e3b2dc104-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" rel=\"attachment noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats - Image 48 of 49\" class=\"thumbs__img b-lazy\" data-nr-picture-id=\"69754c8a47d9d44e3b2dc104\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_48.jpg\" height=\"125\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/69754c8a47d9d44e3b2dc104-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" title=\"ARiN \/ Nature Arc Studios (N\u2019Arc). Image \u00a9 Ar. Abhiram P.\" width=\"125\"\/><\/a><a class=\"thumbs__link\" data-nr-picture-id=\"6975475547d9d44e3b2dc0f7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/6975475547d9d44e3b2dc0f7-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" rel=\"attachment noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats - Image 24 of 49\" class=\"thumbs__img b-lazy\" data-nr-picture-id=\"6975475547d9d44e3b2dc0f7\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/from-desert-to-forest-10-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_23.jpg\" height=\"125\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/6975475547d9d44e3b2dc0f7-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" title=\"Villa Long Take \/ PaadArchitects Office. Image \u00a9 Ghazal Mousavi \u2013 Ali Ghetmiri\" width=\"125\"\/><\/a><a class=\"gallery-link afd-desktop-e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats\/6975454627558a7a408b74ac-from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats-photo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"From Desert to Forest: 8 Unbuilt Houses Designed as Contemporary Retreats - More Images\" class=\"thumbs__img b-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/from-desert-to-forest-10-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats_12.jpg\" itemprop=\"image\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAUEBAAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=\"\/>+ 44<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"910\" data-end=\"1737\">Across varied geographies, from the deserts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/country\/saudi-arabia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saudi Arabia <\/a>to the hillsides of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/search\/projects\/country\/new-zealand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> New Zealand<\/a>, the urban fabric of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/city\/tehran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tehran<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/professional\/nazareth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nazareth<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/coastal-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">coastal landscapes<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/greece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greece<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/search\/projects\/country\/portugal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Portugal<\/a>, the proposals explore diverse responses to contemporary residential design. They range from inward-looking courtyard houses and monolithic desert retreats to adaptive reuse and landscape-embedded dwellings shaped by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/tag\/topography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">topography<\/a> and local traditions. While some prioritize protection and climatic moderation, others experiment with continuity between interior and exterior space, material restraint, and alternative domestic typologies. Together, they offer a snapshot of how unbuilt residential architecture is being reimagined as a more deliberate form of living across different environmental and cultural contexts.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/loader-blue.gif\" alt=\"Content Loader\" style=\"width: 40px; margin: 24px;\"\/><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Desert Accommodation. Image \u00a9 WORS architects Share Share Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Whatsapp Or https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038155\/from-desert-to-forest-8-unbuilt-houses-designed-as-contemporary-retreats Residential architecture remains&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":724036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[4023,4021,4020,557,62098,22504,4022,77,22787,1450,7931,730,774,8221,215817,704,3046,10538,7930,88889,15003,215816,16,10537,27127,15,49,27128],"class_list":{"0":"post-724035","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architecture","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-coastal-design","13":"tag-desert","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-forest","17":"tag-greece","18":"tag-houses","19":"tag-india","20":"tag-iran","21":"tag-landscape-architecture","22":"tag-milos","23":"tag-new-zealand","24":"tag-portugal","25":"tag-residential","26":"tag-residential-architecture","27":"tag-retreat","28":"tag-sea","29":"tag-topography","30":"tag-uk","31":"tag-unbuilt-architecture","32":"tag-unbuilt-projects","33":"tag-united-kingdom","34":"tag-united-states","35":"tag-villa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115966834668432926","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}