While most of its eurozone neighbors were whacked by financial crises, Switzerland managed to avoid a recession, and its economy grew by 1 percent in 2012. 

Architects understandably yearn to be their own clients, especially when it comes to their homes.

Most architects say they start each project with a blank slate.

Bruges may be best known for its centuries-old stepped-gable structures edging cobblestoned streets and narrow canals, and for its urban squares enclosed by idiosyncratic Gothic and Flemish Renaissance buildings.

There are any number of reasons to envy Ryan Burns and his wife, Aline Nakashima.

People driving by Bill Perry's aptly named Heavy Metal House frequently stop to admire the 5,000-square-foot, one-story structure that sprawls across its 8-acre wooded site.

There's a swirl at the center of UNStudio's House Beside a Vineyard outside Stuttgart, Germany.

There's no running around naked in Sosuke Fujimoto's House NA. The 3-D matrix of tiny rooms and exterior terraces—all located on different floor levels—is encased almost entirely with see-through glass.

Step through the filigreed entry gates, and you've clearly entered another world.