One of the ultimate desires of humankind: living on the solitary edge between urban luxury and the embrace of nature. Houses on cliffs and rocks reflect this desire well. You might find your dream house among the next 27 buildings; many of them are true examples of exceptional architectural design and outstanding engineering.
The Cliff House, San Francisco, California (1896-1907).
Photo: Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
The Cliff House, San Francisco, California, 2008.
Photo: Eric Risberg/AP
Old house on the cliff on the left bank of Kura River, Tbilisi, Georgia, c1910.
Photo: Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky/Library of Congress
The Kittatinny Hotel, overlooking the Delaware River, Pennsylvania, c1900.
Photo: Library of Congress
House on a cliff on Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain).
Photo: JMN/Cover/Getty Images
The Mushroom House, designed by Dale Naegle in the 1960s. La Jolla, California.
Photo: OaklandNative
The Holman House by Durbach Block. Dover Heights, Sydney.
Photo: Durbach Block
Robert Bruno’s Steel House near Lubbock, Texas
Photo: Robert Bruno
Town of Manarola, province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy.
Photo: tonyduckles
Dogon Cliff Houses, Southeastern Mali.
Photo: David Holt London
Castellfollit de la Roca (Catalonia, Spain), a village perched atop a fifty meter-high basalt crag
Photo: Wiros
Hanging Houses of Cuenca, Spain.
Photo: G Travels
Meteora monasteries in Greece.
Photo: Davide78
House On The Rocks by Fran Silvestre Architects. Ayora, Valencia, Spain.
Photo: Fernando Alda/fransilvestrenavarro.com
The Leonard J. Malin Residence, aka Chemosphere, Los Angeles, California. Architect: John Lautner.
Photo: Jeremy Sternberg
The Stahl House, Los Angeles, California. Architect: Pierre Koenig.
Photo: rward2008
The Villa Amanzi by Original Vision Studio. Cape Sol, Phuket, Thailand.
Photo: Original Vision Studio
The Michael Gantert Residence, the last Pierre Koenig design. Hollywood, California.
Photo: Jeremy Sternberg
The Monte Rosa Hut near Zermatt at the foot of Monte Rosa, at an altitude of 2,795 metres, owned by the Swiss Alpine Club, inaugurated in 2009.
Photo: twiga269
The Cliff House by Fearon Hay Architects, overlooking Rangitoto island and the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand.
Photo: Patrick Reynolds/fearonhay.com
The Headland House by Fearon Hay Architects, Waiheke Island, New Zealand.
Photo: Patrick Reynolds/fearonhay.com
The Sandy Bay Farm House by Fearon Hay Architects, Tututkaka coast. New Zealand.
Photo: Patrick Reynolds/fearonhay.com
House on the Cliff by Fran Silvestre Architects, Calp, Spain.
Photo: Diego Opazo/fransilvestrenavarro.com
Cliff House by Altius Architecture. Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, Canada, 2009.
Photo: Altius
Skeleton bay Cottage by Altius Architecture. Ontario, Canada.
Photo: Altius
The Cove 3 by Saota and Antoni Associates. Near Knysna, Western Cape Province, South Africa, 2010.
Photo: Saota
Vame by SAOTA. Yzerfontein, South Africa.
Photo: Saota
