From Helsinki to San Huan Islands: The world's most incredible homes that are built into nature

I’ve lived in apartments my entire life. Call me crazy (don’t worry, you won’t be the first), but I absolutely love living in a densely populated urban area, and the social nature of apartment living suits me to a tee.

Having said that, I’ve been developing an unhealthy obsession with extraordinary homes that sit at the exact opposite end of the spectrum – houses that are more often than not found in remote locations.

And not only that, I’m talking about the kinds of homes that are built to completely appreciate nature, and also to occupy it. Houses built into rocks, around trees and generally entirely embedded in the landscape.

These seriously incredible examples of residential architecture not only address their context, and interact with their surroundings, the sites they occupy form the critical ingredient that architects have used in the overall design. These homes are the architectural equivalent of Michelangelo-like creations, with rocks, trees, hills, water and caves becoming the material from which the buildings take shape.

Not only do these stunning homes have a special relationship with nature, they are also built into the very landscape they occupy. These houses integrate seamlessly into their surroundings, whether they’re built into rocks, buried under hills, nestled in caves, or perched on sea cliffs.

Try as we might, we humans can never compete with the beauty of the natural world. Mother nature is the ultimate designer, and many visionary and brave architects have embraced her work in their own creations – by embedding her into their projects.

Perhaps no one has done this better than America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. His masterpiece Fallingwater in rural south-western Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh, is well known for its connection to the landscape, built on top of a waterfall that flows beneath the house.

“Organic architecture” is the term Frank Lloyd Wright used to describe his environmentally integrated approach to architectural design. His philosophy grew from the ideas of his mentor, Louis Sullivan, who believed that “form follows function”. Wright took this theory a step further, arguing that “form and function are one”.

Organic architecture strives to unify space, to blend interiors and exteriors, and create a harmonious built environment, not separate from nature but a unified whole. The idea refers not only to a building’s relationship with its natural surroundings but how the building’s design is carefully thought about as if it were
a unified organism.

I’m sure you will agree that perhaps there’s nothing more organic than a home that blends flawlessly with its environment – or better still, is actually built into nature. So, if you are like me, and feel you ought to be consuming more organic in your life, perhaps organic architecture is the perfect place to start. I just have to break it to my husband we’ll be swapping our city pad for somewhere more remote. And probably a lot more expensive. Wish me luck.