20 Stunning Homes Built Into Nature

Frank Lloyd Wright‘s greatest legacy is easily his modern homes built into nature. From more obvious examples like Fallingwater in Pennsylvania to the way organic shapes found in nature influenced nearly every design he dreamt up. “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature,” Wright once said. “It will never fail you.” It’s no surprise that finding an integration, balance, and dialogue between the indoors and outdoors was arguably the iconic architect’s greatest gift.

Though Wright felt architects should study nature, John Ruskin took it a bit further. The Victorian-era writer once noted that an architect should be sent “to our hills, and let him study there what nature understands by a buttress, and what by a dome.” Whether influenced by Wright, Ruskin, or another, including nature in the built world is advice many architects have followed throughout the years.

As architects and their clients become more conscious of the impact construction has on the climate, many talents are taking pains to make sure their designs not only enhance but protect the environment. Features such as green roofs and passive architecture help connect the dwellings to their sites and offer sustainable alternatives to traditional heating and cooling systems.

Here, AD looks at some of the best examples of this. From an arachnid-shaped desert home that took nearly two decades to construct to a small home built inside a hill in France, these special houses seem more like livable art. With cliffside terraces, dramatic infinity pools, and living spaces nestled amid the tree canopy, these residences take indoor-outdoor living to a new level. Below, find 20 stunning homes built into nature.