Ufogel Mountain Home in the Austrian Alps

Ufogel is a home in the heart of the Alps that was designed to connect with nature. (Image: Ufogel.at)

Here in the Austrian Alps, where winters are a skier's paradise and summers are just as gorgeous for hiking, sits the small but impressive Ufogel holiday home, designed specifically for this beautiful backdrop.

"Whether you sit, lie, shower or share a meal, two things are always presentin an Ufogel: wood and the heavens," the home's website explains.

Ufogel's name comes from combining vogel, the German word for bird, with UFO, since the home is built on stilts and appears to float on air from a distance.

(PHOTOS: A Cozy Winter Lodge)

The tiny home is less than 500 square feet, but it's a giant when it comes to leveraging the area's beauty. Architect Peter Jungmann made a point to design the home to include nooks for reading or relaxing directly under Ufogel's large panoramic windows, meant to "bring nature indoors to you." Even the bathroom overlooks the mountains of East Tyrol.

Ufogel is constructed nearly entirely of larch wood, which is found in the mountains of central Europe. There's so much wood woven into the home's exterior and interior "the smell of wood flows through the rooms."

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When winter's bite takes hold, Ufogel stays cozy and warm with floor heating as well as a wood-burning stove. An automatic sun protection system is installed for the summers.

Ufogel is open for reservations. You can discover more about the home on www.ufogel.at.

(NEXT> Where Winter Lovers Come to Play)

The L House by Florian Busch in Japan

The L House in Hirafu was designed around the existing topography of the mountain. The architects wanted to offer 'uncompromised views' of Mount Yotei in the distance. (Image: Florian Busch Architects)

Niseko, Japan is known for long winters and heavy snowfalls. This is where winter lovers come to play.

Nestled in this winter wonderland is the L House in Hirafu by Florian Busch Architects. FBA's top priority was to take advantage of the incredible views this property had to offer, so the firm built the L House specifically for the landscape.

"The site is a steep slope with uncompromised views of Mount Yotei," the architects explain. "In order to exploit the site's views, we proposed a house in the trees."

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A home built into the mountainside would have meant reinforced walls and fewer windows. Instead, FBA came up with this split-level home which sits on top of the landscape – not buried beneath it. FBA says the vertical design allows the home to appear to "move up the slope" itself.

Florian Busch Architects is sharing photos of the L House with weather.com in the gallery above. You can see more of FBA's nature-infused designs here on the studio's website.

(NEXT>This Home Glides Over Ice)

Sled Homes in Greenland by Rob Sweere

The sled homes can be towed by dogs or snowmobiles across the icy terrain. (Image: Rob Sweere)

Uunnmannaq is a small town in Greenland, about 310 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where hunting, fishing and dog-sledding are part of the town's culture.

This small town is also where artist/designer Rob Sweere based his movable "Sledge Project," which basically involves creating movable sled homes that remind you of igloos.

Built from wood and insulated, these sled homes"can be towed with dogs or a snowmobile over ice" in Uunnmannaq.

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The houses may look small, but Sweere says there is room to eat, cook and sleep; as many as six people can fit comfortably inside.

The project was commissioned by the Uummannaq Polar Institute. Learn more here.

(NEXT>A Refuge for Tired Hikers)

Tiny Cabin in the Italian Alps by Giovanni Pesamosca

The tiny mountaintop A-frame home by architect Giovanni Pesamosca. (Image: Flavio Pesamosca)

More than 8,300 feet above sea level, on a crest of Italy's Julian Alps, you'll find this tiny, heartwarming mountain cabin that was built in only one day.

The tiny home is nestled in a part of the Alps famous for its native wildlife, vegetation and overall beauty.

Architect Giovanni Pesamosca designed the home in honor of Luca Vuerich, a 34-year-old mountaineer who died in an avalanche not far from the location in 2010. Vuerich was a revered climber and adventurer. "At 17 years of ageLuca Vuerichhad climbed all the routes of Emiloo Comici, Enzo Cozzolino, Ignazio Piussi as well as the hardest climbs in the Julian Alps. And this, for those who know something about alpinism, is already a proof of excellence," planetmountain.com explains.

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The tiny home now sits "along a summit trail, providing refuge to hikers,"or anyone else looking to take a break from a long day outdoors, reports designboom.com.

The home was built by a 12 men, including Vuerich's friends and family. The builders hiked to the location, while the materials were flown in by a helicopter. The house went up in one day.

You can find out more about the architect on hiswebsite.

(NEXT>A Gorgeous Alps Hideaway)

"The Barn" in the Austrian Alps

Design collective Mostlikely created this home in the Alps that's nicknamed The Barn. (Image: Mostlikely)

Nestled in the Alps in western Austria, the village of Going amWildenKaiser is famous for its Christmas market. In the winter, people come for the skiing, the snowshoeing and simply to embrace the idyllic winter landscape.

Architect MarkNeunerand the team at theMostlikelydesign collectiveset out to reflect the village's charm in this new home. The 3,336 square-foot wooden house is nicknamed The Barn and was designed with "regional authenticity"in mind, the designers tells Dezeen.com. The wood, both inside and out, gives the home the cozy feeling of a ski lodge.

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Neuner tells ArchDaily he chose concrete walls inside the house to allow "magic" to take place. The designers used acorrosion techniqueto etch "flowers and creatures that would slightly remind" you of the myth of the Alps on the walls.

The architects are sharing photos of the winter home with weather.com in the slideshow above. You can see more projects from Mostlikely on itswebsiteor on itsFacebook page.

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Homemade Igloo in New Jersey

A northern New Jersey family proves you don't need a carpenter or lots of supplies to build an igloo. All it takes is cold temperatures, water and a couple of curious and anxious kids.

The idea started last winter, when brothers-in-law Michael Shyong, Andy Shyong and Shawn Trokhan saw an online video about a Canadian couple who built one of the own.

"My kids saw it and they loved it," Trokhan told weather.com. "They talked about it for a long time."

The kids didn't lose interest, and building an igloo became the focus of many family dinner conversations. The adults started researching the idea and eventually decided to buy tin restaurant trays to have on hand for ice making.

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"We have definitely not built anything like this before, but we are a really close family so we do a lot of fun projects together," Trokhan said.

By Jan. 21, temperatures in northern New Jersey fell below freezing. The Shyong and Trokhan families filled the tins with colored water, then left the tins outdoors for Mother Nature to work her magic. The water in the tins froze in less than two days.

On Jan. 26, the families shook the ice blocks out of the tins and built the igloo in their side yard.

Trokhan says the igloo was also about teaching his kids a life lesson.

"I think the fact that we came up with a difficult project and followed through on it was the best lesson for any of us," Trokhan told weather.com. "Good ideas are a dime a dozen. But our kids have a finished product, and that's important."

The girls begin filling the food trays with colored water. Once frozen, these become the building blocks for the igloo. (Image: The Shyong and Trokhan Families)