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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.

In the wistful irony of creating liquid fire through sheets of paper, David Oliva of Barcelona-based firm SP25 Arquitectura and Anna Juncà of Atelier 4 collaborated to fabricate an installation piece for the LLUÈRNIA festival of fire and light in Catalonia. Titled, "Origami Lava", the field of flame cloaks the 100 m² surface of an abandoned building using over 10,000 pieces of origami.

BACKGROUND
A single-family house (built in the 60’s) in a partial state of ruin is acquired by a new owner, who demands new functionalities for the house.

According to architect and academic Frank Locker, in architectural education, we keep repeating the same formula from the 20th-century: teachers transmitting a rigid and basic knowledge that gives students, no matter their motivation, interests, or abilities, little to no direction. In this way, says Locker, we are replicating, literally, prisons, with no room for an integral, flexible, and versatile education.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 30 June, 2016. While the debate surrounding the terms of the UK's exit from the European Union continues to rage, the Tate remains a steady icon for London and the UK. But the building has also become a symbol in a new fight: one between the capital's elites and the general public. As the political sands in Britain continue to shift, it may be interesting to see how - and with whom - the building aligns in the future. - Katherine Allen, Managing Editor

With its historic but dilapidated waterfront, San Francisco has decided to restore the shoreline that could greatly influence the future of the city both environmentally and economically. The Port, contemplating between a piecemeal rebuilding pier-by-pier and a singular comprehensive construction of the waterfront, invited architecture and landscape firms to submit the reimagined proposals.

In 2014, Sol Plaatje University [SPU] opened its doors as the first new University in South Africa’s democratic era. Strategically close to the Square Kilometre Array Telescope [SKA], its initial intake of 135 students is expected to grow to 7 500 within its first 10 years.

Belgorod is an ordinary city in Eastern Russia with a population of over 350,000 people. It was almost fully rebuilt after World War II; however, its public spaces have not been modernized since Soviet times. The Vezelka River embankment was one such abandoned place. A year ago, it was completely undeveloped, and parts were completely isolated. However, it has changed radically through the “Future Cities” program.

“There’s nothing absolutely new, but there is an endless amount of connections and relations between forms, materials and technologies that are not yet made. Innovation means discovering them.” This is how we developed the project about Villa #29.

The beginning of the house began with a recollection of what we had missed rather than what we needed. Instead of worrying about the program of space, I gave priority to the fundamental question about what to feel, what to see and what to listen to. Civilization devices such as TVs and computers are minimized or hidden in order to stay away from artificial things. Instead, we made it possible to see nature everywhere, create eaves to hear the falling rain, and create a shady yard where we could feel the wind. That is, the experience was designed. In the front yard, the client moved the tree that he planted in childhood from the old house. In other words, I made a place to recall time. The memorable house, which is not simply a living house, is completed on a small hill.