Why do these houses always look like a stack of Kleenex boxes? I'll admit they have visual interest and are clever, but they aren't exactly beautiful and you wouldn't want to live there. The vast majority of the space has no purpose and the sparse points that do are impractical.

Neat. Good balance of green oasis on the bottom and expansive view from the top floor

It's a style, and people like different things. What you find beautiful, may not be what others find beautiful. People do want to live there, hence why this style exists. I'd say it's impossible to tell from staged photos if the spaces have a purpose or not. We don't know if the people have large families, friends over all the time, or throw parties and whatnot. The large spaces could be used by kids running around, people having conversations etc...

I do find aspects beautiful. Incorporation of vegetation, proportions, interesting sight lines, water features etc. They are spaces that would be fun to visit. Maybe they even serve well as a calming retreat from a busy career, but be it a failure of imagination, I can't imagine the whole cycle of life happening in such places. Not without paid help to keep kids out of pools and from falling off stairs etc. I wonder what the turn over is. Do people live at these places a long time or do they enjoy them for a while then opt for some a bit cozier once they decide to have kids or age into mobility issues.

Some of the photos have a younger couple in them and an older man sitting reading something. It could be a multi-generational home with parents / kids / grandkids living all together. But who knows really...