Philip Jodidio takes a look behind the scenes of innovative residential houses and traces the progress of modern global architecture. He spans a bridge from India to Brazil from Samira Rathod’s house amidst a mango grove to Tetro’s Aucena House, which adapts to its natural surroundings.

As the first of their generation, many of these buildings benefit from the extensive possibilities of computer technology without losing diversity and originality. In Italy, Mario Cucinella created TECLA, a house entirely printed from raw earth. Erected in just 200 hours from 60 cubic meters of natural materials, it demonstrates a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way of building. Kanan Modi’s House of Gardens in Hyderabad not only effectively minimizes and distributes heat inside but also opens up to nature a concept of crucial importance in a time of rising temperatures and growing cities.

These pioneering buildings owe their existence to technological developments such as video conferencing and 3D printing, which create space for creativity and ingenuity, enabling sustainable, site-adapted living. For example, during the Corona pandemic, Atelier Bow-Wow perfected the principle of virtual construction management with their Peninsula House on Antiparos, while Mariko Mori’s house Yuputira combines her artistic and architectural aesthetics, and Anne Fougeron’s Suspension House blends seamlessly into an impressive landscape.