One of the most influential design philosophies of the past 25 years has been Glenn Murcutt's dictum that buildings should touch the earth lightly. While architects have always sought to liberate architecture from its solid foundations through the use of new materials and spatial reconfigurations, climate change, new materials and restricted land use have given new impetus to finding lightweight solutions for our homes. Superlight houses combine two strands of thinking: that lightweight buildings have less impact on their environments, and that this lightness (visually, materially, ecologically) can lead to more open living and greater communion with their surroundings. Each of the 41 houses presented here is shown through photographs, plans and lucid explanations. Residences that appear to float, ingenious constructions using local materials, innovative structures, inflatable spaces, high-tech hyper-intelligent houses superlight takes many forms, in many places from the urban jungle of Tokyo to rural China and mountainous Chile.

Skywood has been called a house that turns lifestyle into a work of art and one that offers a masterclass in architectures power to excite and inspire. As a structure, it reflects rigour and attention to detail, attributes that its creator, Graham Phillips, credits both to his time at Foster & Partners, and to his experiences of buildings he loves, from Mies van der Rohes Barcelona Pavilion and Luis Barragans house in Mexico City, to the serene composition of Japanese gardens. Skywood House garnered immediate acclaim from the architectural and popular press. It also became a favoured setting for television and film producers, who found in its pure form and exquisite geometries the perfect backdrop for an array of dramatic scenarios. Known as the Va Va Voom house for its appearance in the 2005 Renault Clio television advert featuring the football titan Thierry Henry, Skywood continues to attract a popular and critical audience. And Phillipss further projects, carried out as an independent architect, resonate with the same sense of precision and elegance.

Published in 2010, Living Modern is the ultimate resource for contemporary living. Defining the modern space as much more than modernist, the book showcases global interiors with clean lines, sophisticated color combinations, outdoor rooms, great design objects, and open areas for relaxing and eating. Now, with a new selection of photography and houses, Living Modern Tropical applies these attributes to tropical climates, where the expression of modern living has found its natural home. The book is organized into ten sections: nature, architecture, outdoors, elements, function, light, furniture, details, materials, and water. Each features themed subsections that focus on the attributes most enjoyed in tropical spaces. But regardless of where you live, here are hundreds of design ideas that will provide inspiration for every room in the house.

XS Future, the third volume in the successful XS series, focuses on two of today's most challenging design problems — how to conserve space and help preserve the environment. The houses that are profiled here all represent striking, cost-effective, functional solutions located at the edge of possibility — remote locations previously deemed unbuildable, sites that face extreme environmental conditions, or simply, designs so daringly provocative that they are literally at the extremity of contemporary architecture. Each project shares the same basic design brief: build as small and efficiently as possible, harmonize with the site, use natural heating/cooling techniques, and, above all, combine aesthetic beauty with ecological sensitivity. Each design is presented with detailed plans, drawings, and photographs and represents the work of up-and-comers at the forefront of architecture. XS Future is a compelling manifesto in a small and charming package that illustrates how extreme creativity, innovative techniques and materials, and ecological responsibility is transforming contemporary architecture.