Since 1956, the editors of RECORD have looked for houses that upend expectations, push disciplinary limits, and redefine established vocabularies in imaginative ways. This year’s selection showcases nimble responses to diverse landscapes—whether in the desert, along a tidal marsh, or tucked into wooded hills—and feats of craft, from hand-worked weathering steel to precisely chiseled stone. Forms vary, too, from modernist courtyards and Miesian compositions to pinwheeling, pitched pavilions. Every year, the house proves to be an inexhaustible laboratory for architectural exploration.