In Northern California, William McDonough + Partners designs an energy-neutral residence rooted strongly in its surroundings For sustainability guru William A. McDonough, FAIA, buildings aren't vampires sucking up natural resources, but regenerative systems that should improve the environment. “The idea of 'getting to zero' for water or energy use is ridiculous. Is that the best we can do?” he says. This ethos, the guiding principle of his design career, is clearly embodied by the Meadow Farm House, completed in 2013 for a family whose values align closely with his own. The building site, a secluded three-acre perch in northern California,

Architect and developer Jonathan Segal's cast-in-place concrete house for his family in La Jolla, California, brings urbanity to the suburbs. In temperate La Jolla, California, a narrow building lot and a desire for a generous outdoor living area gave rise to the straightforward rectilinear motifs of the 5,300-square-foot Cresta House, a three-story coastal residence designed by San Diego architect Jonathan Segal for himself and his wife, Wendy. “The house wanted to be a pure form on this site,” Segal says. He conceived the cast-in-place concrete structure as an orthogonal volume, slicing and shaping rooms and functional spaces within and around

For a Mexican country home, CC Arquitectos positions living quarters and stables side by side to forge a closer bond between human and horse. One man’s passion for horses inspired the design of his family’s vacation home, set in the mountains two hours from Mexico City. The linear, gable-roofed wood structure contains four bedroom suites that float above the ground floor’s reception hall and the expansive living and dining area, finished in wood and stone and outfitted with furniture by renowned French designer Christian Liaigre. Additional quarters for the household help are also included in the elongated volume. Partially depressed

Though inspiration sometimes emerges slowly, it can also flash unexpectedly, like a bolt of lightning'as it did the first time architects Julie Snow and Matthew Kreilich caught a glimpse of their clients' site along Minnesota's Lake Minnetonka.