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Architect Randy Brown gave this Omaha residence huge windows, a cantilevered living room, a gym, and a barn-like outbuilding.

Snow guards create seasonal insulation, and stormwater runoff is directed to infiltration systems to protect Lake Tahoe.

There is even the possibility to create single, independent units as cabin-like retreats.

The property is surrounded by mature oaks and red-earth ravines, and de la Vega and Cano-Lasso wanted the home to reflect that. The structure was built in a factory and the walls were whitewashed on site.

“CLT House is built in a forest clearing in upstate New York. Aiming for a light touch on its natural site, the 2,150-square-foot house was built with cross-laminated-timber (CLT) panels and installed in 11 days,” nARCHITECTS tells us. “The live-edge siding and its uneven weathering with time aims to provide a rustic contrast with the contemporary nature of the prefab build and its modern environmental features: geothermal wells, a radiant floor system, and a solar panel array.”

The kitchen anchors the home as the central hub — cementing its importance in the family’s life. With light streaming in from the skylight above, a circular island includes recessed Bocci outlets at the perimeter to power dedicated workstations for Meera’s baking classes. “I love the kitchen. It’s probably my favorite spot,” she says. “Baking brings me joy.”

Located in Ojochal, Costa Rica, at the edge of a large tropical rain forest, the multi-disciplinary firm of A-01 (A Company / A Foundation) designed a prefabricated home that would respond to its local environment by exclusively using passive climate control.

“We use one of the walls in the great room as a screen for the projector. There are no screens in the house,” says Nathaniel. “There is a TV in the primary bedroom but it's hidden away in a credenza. I just find those things to be a distraction, but they are enjoyable when it's the right time.”

Set a short drive from the beach, the getaway brings in countryside views with a long, linear plan wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glazing.

The rusting steel is an important part of the house’s patina, Campbell says. “We appreciate materials in the raw,” he adds. “The tables aren’t stained; the steel isn’t painted. The materials are what they are.”