Most of the world's population today lives in large, vibrant, energetic, and sometimes chaotic cities. This is why, usually, when we think of taking some time off from our responsibilities and daily routines we picture ourselves lying on virgin beaches, relaxing in a faraway forest, or immersed in a tropical jungle.

Hospitality architecture has a wide variety of solutions for all types of travelers and tourists. For those wanting to disconnect completely from daily city life while being closely connected to nature, a good option could be small-scale hotels, cabins, and lodges set directly in these natural environments.

Stilt houses are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Dating back to the Neolithic and the Bronze Ages, a wide variety of raised dwellings have been identified in a variety of forms worldwide, designed with several diverse and innovative methodologies. Stilt houses are well suited to coastal regions and subtropical climates. More than just a distinctive structural design resolution, they also protect against floods, maximize views and allow homeowners to build on rocky, steep, or unstable land. They also serve to keep out animals and vermin, provide ventilation from underneath, and minimize a house’s ecological footprint. 

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The mountains—one of the contexts that almost every architect would like to build in at least once. And yet even though it's an attractive setting, the associated challenges, including, but not limited to the sheer remoteness of mountain regions and their distance from basic services, make building in the mountains particularly demanding.

We've compiled a selection of 15 incredible works of architecture that maximize the breathtaking surroundings found in mountainous areas, featuring photographs from Felipe Camus, Janez Martincic, and Anze Cokl.