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Architecture firm Wittman Estes has been tracking performance metrics for the net-zero energy prototype project.

To meet the project’s sustainability goals and minimize the impact on site, the prefab incorporates an impermanent foundation, off-site construction, smart home controls, and a 4.1 kW solar array that powers a heat pump with hydronic heating and cooling and energy recovery ventilation.

With 600-square-foot of indoor living space and an additional 557-square-feet of covered outdoor living spaces, the prefab project represents a nearly a 1:1 ratio of heated/indoor to unheated/outdoor areas.

A professional painter who is also a close friend gave them a custom artwork, which fits their staircase perfectly, as a housewarming present.

The sprawling 5,200-square-foot residence by The Up Studio is sited in a fairly secluded and densely-wooded area of Old Westbury, New York, surrounded by mature oak and maple trees. The home’s front facade—with undulating gables and long, winding entry—is undeniably cinematic. In contrast to the traditionally-influenced front, the rear of the home embraces a more modern design sensibility. Rotated perpendicularly, the L-shaped configuration and wall of windows from Marvin maximizes natural light flowing into the home, and encourages unobstructed sightlines from the interior to the lush landscape outside.

Designed by The Up Studio, this newly constructed home on the North Shore of Long Island is the setting for Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind.” Based on the bestselling novel by Rumaan Alam, the film stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon.

A need to balance the farmhouse-inspired front facade—a nod to the region’s local vernacular—with the more modern rear led Ramirez and The Up Studio team to select Marvin Signature Ultimate Casement Narrow Frame windows for the entire home, seamlessly unifying traditional and modern.

The family room was positioned “to look out over the incredible mature oak and maple trees that surround the property without sacrificing privacy from any neighboring homes,” says Ramirez.

The home’s primary bedroom is dramatically cantilevered over the rear yard. “The colors of the wooded property are constantly changing throughout the year, and that shifting color palette becomes the main focal point,” says Ramirez of the site’s seasonality. “As the homeowner eloquently put it, ‘The views from our bedroom are like an ever-changing piece of art.’”

Aptly named “The Open Corner House,” the rear of the home is rotated 90 degrees, with each perpendicular exposure opening up to views of mature trees, and the all-important patio and pool area. “This is seen over and over again in the film, as the characters are often shown gazing into nature, playing outside, or gathering in covered outdoor areas,” says Ramirez.

The sink in the tiled bathroom was hand-carved from a block of Carrara marble.