Modern architecture should not just be seen but experienced first-hand, claims the writer Alain de Botton. And because he’s somebody who puts his money where his mouth is, he launched the project Living Architecture to enable five spectacular structures to be built in England which can be rented by anyone for a few days or weeks.

There’s the Balancing Barn, for one, a shimmering, futuristic edifice that hovers on the edge of a slope, threatening to tip over at any moment. It was designed by the star architects of Dutch company MVRDV. Norwegian architects’ office JVA dreamed up the Dune House, which seems to float above ground, while Swiss designer Peter Zumthor’s mystical Secular Retreat will be completed next year. Holidaying in these avant-garde homes costs from £156 per night.