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Living by the water is comforting for is linked to many health benefits. In case no natural water bodies are available nearby, adding a water feature to your home could be a great idea to improve mood, lower stress and offer more opportunities to engage in physical activity.

Bangkok-based architectural firm Ayutt and Associates design (AAd) has crafted Shade House to address the common modern question of adjusting to living amidst the rapid growth of urban population without losing contact with Nature. The team targets the issue by lessening the superior role of the house, though increasing the importance of natural surrounding as the main protagonist of this project.

The project is a self-sustainable residence, implanted with an individual natural ecosystem, which is designed to integrate into a larger urban ecology. In order to reduce footprint, the team dropped the original idea of creating a two-storey residence in favour of a three-storey one with parking lots placed separately in the front.

This new strategy helps to enlarge the green-area by 60% greater, which is twice the minimum requirement of green-area regulations in Bangkok. Together with adding pocket gardens at every corner of the house and a green roof, the overall green space of this house is boosted to 90%. By the time the vegetation has fully grown and covers all the house’s elevations, the green area will be as much as 150% larger than its initial site, thus maximizing the connection between the residence and the surrounding nature and resulting in the growing shade of the house.

To leave the most open area on the ground floor for landscaping and maintaining the house owners’ privacy, the architects placed a swimming pool on the second floor, along with the family living space – the ‘pool villa’ suite. The resulting seamless infinity pool is embedded among the trees, creating a visual connection with the greenery and a blue sky while dipping in the pool.

Located in central and tree-lined area of Mexico City called Bosques de las Lomas, this project by architectural studio Miguel Ángel Aragones embraces minimalism with its all-white palette, cubist geometry and uncluttered interiors.

In this project, water bodies are natural mirrors that reflect and enhance the green environment, of which as in almost all highly populated cities, the tree is a precious asset.

The building is a great architectural example of contemporary minimalism. Named Rombos, the private space with three houses and a studio are created by the architect with an ambition to have an exterior that protects privacy, “to be seen only by the sky, the air or the sun,” creating an atmosphere of a shelter inhabited by solitude.

At night, saturated neon colours wash over the building.

Located on an island in the middle of Seattle’s Lake Washington, USA, Mercer Island Modern residence designed by local practice Garret Cord Werner Architects for an avid swimmer features a reflective pond, a lap pool, and a jacuzzi that serve to organize the spaces of the dwelling.

The Japanese-inspired architecture of the 390-square-metre home articulates the flow of water and provides a Zen-like resort destination, in the middle of the metropolis. A spine of water is the focal point of the home, dividing public and private spaces with glazed interior bridges that also connect the spaces. These sliding glass elements allow the homeowner to either incorporate the water into the space, or allow it to serve as a serene, visible element.

The waterway begins with a reflective water feature at the entrance to the home, then transitions to a lap pool that is positioned within the core of the residence. Finally, the waterway ends with an infinity spa, overlooking private views of Lake Washington and the surrounding pine trees.

The experience of walking up to and over water, both inside and outside of the home, creates a dramatic and tranquil feeling that one rarely experiences inside a residential building.