Circular Houses With Unique And Unprecedented Designs

A circle is not typically the geometric shape that comes to mind when thinking about houses. Style is irrelevant in this case simply because the shape alone is so unusual. Circular houses are unique and quite rare but we managed to find a few and we’re super excited to share their designs with you today. As expected, there will be a lot of custom details and features so it will be interesting to see them all. 

Modern Circular Houses

The 360 Villa – The Netherlands

circular houses

The 360 Villa is a project that studio 123DV completed in 2017 and consists of a unique family home designed for a couple and their beloved dogs. The ultimate goal was to offer a custom living experience by creating a house perfectly tailor according to its owners’ needs. A particular important factor which influenced the design were actually the dogs. The owners wanted to be able to stay in contact with them and to keep an eye on them both when they’re indoor and outdoor. That’s how the circular house design came to be.

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

This shape allows the house to have a large and continuous window which they a 360 degree connect with the outside areas and allows visual contact to be maintained no matter where the owners are, whether it’s inside the house or outdoors. The architects also designed the house with a canopy that extends the roof all around the building and creates sheltered areas for the dogs. Another really cool detail is that on one side of the house the outdoor garden is raised and reaches halfway up to the facade and when the dogs are hanging out on this side of the garden and the owners are inside the house they get to look each other straight in the eye. 

St. Andrews Beach House – Australia

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

This unusual beach house was designed by studio Austin Maynard Architects and is located in Australia. Although it stands out through its form and overall aesthetic, it’s not a very big structure. It measures less than 5 meters in radius and it has a circular floor plan. The project started out with a simple request coming from the owner who wanted a small and modest shack, one that would show beauty and comfort can also be achieved in small doses, in contrast with a lot of the typical holiday houses in Australia which are massive. 

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

The house is placed on a remote site with beautiful and panoramic views that extend in all directions. It’s a two-story circular structure surrounded by dunes and a fairly rugged landscape and it doesn’t have any neighbors. The unusual shape was chosen based on a desire to take full advantage of the 360-degree views and to simplify the interior by allowing easy circulation throughout the spaces and also between the indoor and outdoor areas. 

Casa Elíptica – Portugal

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

As it often happens, this is a house with a design inspired by nature and by the beautiful landscape around it. Unlike most typical home however this one has an elliptical shape. It’s located in Luz, Portugal and it was designed by studio Mário Martins Atelier in 2014. No matter how you look at it, it resembles a huge modern sculpture and that’s part of its charm. The architects spend a lot of time planning the design in order to get a perfect balance between open and closed spaces and light and shadow. This is the aesthetic that they came up with. 

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

Although this a highly unusual design for a house, it doesn’t make the building feel out of place. In fact, it has a very organic and natural connection with the landscape and even with the structures surrounding it. The design embraces the gentle slope and seems to seamlessly flow and extend as if it’s been shaped by the wind. This also gives it a certain lightness and airiness that make it not just eye-catching but also very pleasant to live in. 

Solo House – Spain

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

The Solo House is not all perfectly circular but it definitely has a lot of curves. It was built in 2017 by OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen and it can be found in Matarranya, Spain. It sits on top of a beautiful plateau with nice views over the mountains and the large forest around it. The scenery was actually the main source of inspiration behind this rather unusual and unique design. The architects tried to put a lot of emphasis on the views and the landscape and the best way to do that is with sweeping curves and a circular roof. 

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

The circular roof is what defines the perimeter of the house. It’s supported by rows of columns and it mirrors the floor plan. It also extends over some of the open outdoor areas ensuring a continuous connection between all the different zones. As it usually happens, these gorgeous views came with a price. The remote nature of the site meant that the house would have to be completely self-sufficient so it has solar panels and a water collection and filtering system which was cleverly disguised as a series of abstract geometric shapes on top of the house. 

Villa Ronde – Japan

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

Villa Ronde is more than just a house. It’s a resort, guest house and private museum all at once and its design is definitely very artistic and perfectly suited for such an outstanding project. It was designed by studio Ciel Rouge in 2010 and it’s situated on a beautiful piece of land along the Japanese coast. Its round shape is not just for looks but was also chosen for its sturdiness and the ability to withstand the strong  typhoon winds. It’s also a really great shape for putting an emphasis on the views and the whole indoor-outdoor relationship.

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

The building has a double facade which adds protection from the winds and the sun and also adds a beautiful layer of detail to the whole design. The circular roof is covered in 30 cm of earth with a built-in watering system which adds thermal insulation and allows the house to more easily and naturally blend in with the landscape. On that note, the main color palette of the building was inspired by the local landscape.

Circular House – Poland

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

This is a house located in Izabelin, Poland. It was designed by studio Mobius Architekci for an art collector and its circular shape and overall aesthetic are inspired by art galleries. This was meant to be a space where the owner could showcase their art, with large sweeping spaces, big windows that let in lots of natural light and an interesting and unusual architecture. They also wanted the house to be able to blend in with its surroundings so the exterior was covered in vertical wood panels that mimic the tall trees growing all around it. 

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

The ground floor of the building houses all the social areas while the private spaces are all clustered in the upper portion. They’re connected by a spiral staircase and they all get to enjoy a special connection to the exterior. There’s a garden that takes up the central area, creating a common green space that all rooms get to connect to. 

Rotating House – Connecticut

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

This house is not only circular which would make it quite special but it also spins, a feature that nobody would expect from a building. It was recently remodeled by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects and it’s located in Wilton, Connecticut. Originally, the house was built in 1968 which shows unique designs are timeless. The recent remodel was meant to update the original building as well as to add a pool house/ guest area. 

Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase
Round house mack scogin merrill elam architects staircase

The house is raised above the ground which creates a sheltered patio underneath and reveals a cylindrical core with a spiral staircase that leads inside. It was built on a steel structure and it measures 22 meters in diameter. All of this would be enough to make this house stand out but there’s more. The entire structures can rotate 360 degrees. This allows each room inside to get a different view and a different orientation. It’s a alow process possible using an electrical motors and a full rotation takes 45 minutes.