10 innovative windows offering a fresh perspective

An innovative all-in-one window and skylight carves through the ceiling, wall and floor in this Melbourne extension by DX Architects, who designed it so that it would maximise the view and capture sunlight in a first-floor playroom, while simultaneously creating a relaxed dialogue with the neighbourhood outside. dxarchitects.com.au

This Australian new-build with an ocean view is the result of a fruitful partnership between homeowners Roger and Jane Nelson, and Ben Shields, design director at architecture firm Dreamer. Together the trio devised two simple agricultural-style ‘sheds’ connected by a glass-windowed corridor, which brings the surrounding landscape inside and allows them to fully escape into nature. dreamerlab.com.au

It’s hard to tell where the inside ends and the outside begins (and, indeed, what’s up and what’s down) in this Escher-like arrangement of walls, glass and angles. It’s the work of Wespi de Meuron Romeo architects, who undertook the renovation of a historic house in a village in Switzerland. They introduced a glass façade, creating an invisible boundary between the interiors and the ancient stone walls, bringing in daylight and keeping out the weather while conserving the authentic fabric of the building. wdmra.ch

Mariana de Delás worked with 2monos studio to convert this traditional stone shelter in rural Mallorca into a compact dwelling. The main architectural intervention was the insertion of a bright-red metal bow window, which serves as seating while creating a bold new connection between the interior and surrounding countryside. marianadelas.com

London architects Michaelis Boyd transformed this elegant Victorian villa in Highgate into a fun yet functional contemporary family home. A spectacular skylight situated at the top of a vertical void is the chief source of illumination, flooding the house with light at every level. michaelisboyd.com

In this minimalist home in Mexico, Alejandro Quetzalcoatl cleverly divided a vast wall of glass into four sections, making it look like a supersized version of a traditional window – a neat visual joke that subverts the austere, almost monastic calm of the space. alejandroquetzalcoatl.com

Steven Holl Architects designed this elegantly austere gallery space deep in the woods of Dutchess County, New York, where skylights and windows on different planes were cut to achieve 25-foot candles of natural light on the walls, creating an atmospheric glow at night. stevenholl.com

Sibling Architecture designed a contemporary two-storey addition to a historic building in a quiet Sydney suburb. The academic owner has a vast collection of books, so the south-facing glass-block façade was designed to bring indirect daylight (perfect for reading) deep into the house. siblingarchitecture.com

With a view like this, it makes sense to maximise the opportunities to take it in with a window that wraps dramatically around two walls. This sleek treatment by Barilari Architects perfectly frames the ever-changing landscape of central Italy beyond the glass, blurring the boundaries so the interior is in constant conversation with the outside world. fabiobarilari.com