This home-inside-ruins, aptly named the House of Ruins, was built by Latvian architects NRJA in 2002 and has since won numerous awards for design and contemporary construction. With solar passive thermal walls, use of natural lighting, it's also a great example of green design.

The home resides inside an old stone barn in Saka, Latvia. Instead of tearing down the stone ruins, the family decided to use the exterior wall of the barn as a protective barrier for both privacy and protection from the heavy winds in this area.

The rooftop observation deck provides a view of the Baltic sea and surrounding meadows and the exterior view from the inside of the house is truly unique. Plenty more high resolution photos available at ArchDaily.

ArchDaily via Inhabitat.