The house has always been at the forefront of architectural design. This book is intended to serve as a guidebook to the issues and debates surrounding the contemporary home. It investigates the ways in which architects meet the needs of modern living, but also reinterpret the form of the house, creating blueprints for the future. Each of the projects included here takes a different approach to solving the age-old problem of shelter, comfort and delight. The book is in two sections. The first considers the emotional and functional value of the home, from the origins of domestic architecture to current ntions of style and taste. Practical issues are examined, such as the problem of creating new homes in our cramped cities or devising sympathetic mass housing with sustainable materials. At the other end of the spectrum, we are presented with dream homes in enviable locations, some traditional constructions and some strikingly modern. The second section features 16 new case studies taken from around the world that push the boundaries of the domestic realm.