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The house is oriented north-south, with the broad side of the structure facing east-west. This guarantees not only gorgeous views of the sunset, but also minimizes wind exposure.

Assembled in just two weeks, this cedar-wrapped passive house near Woodstock, New York, designed by BriggsKnowles A+D, realized a couple's dream of rural living.

Adrian Bueno and Yvette Leeper-Bueno sit on the simple platform porch that extends from the living room of their weekend retreat in Saugerties, New York.

The cedar-wrapped house, designed by BriggsKnowles A+D, is gently curved at the center.

“The multilayered approach to this house—the use of healthy materials, the prefab, the relation to nature—has definitely changed our practice,” says Laura Briggs, architectural designer.

The kitchen countertops are soapstone and the faucet is by Axor.

The dining area includes a custom table by interior designer Jonsara Ruth, Soren chairs from Room & Board, and a Skan pendant from Vibia.

In the living room, cork flooring meets a fir staircase. The lofted family room features a chair from the Danish Design Store and a Grasshopper floor lamp by Greta Grossman for Gubi.

The Japanese pantry in the kitchen is by Shibui Kotto.

All of the home’s interior walls were finished in plaster.

“This house for me is about contemplation,” says Adrian. “You come here from the city and the place is saying, ‘Hi, meet yourself again.’”

Using exclusively native plants, landscape designer Karin Ursula Edmondson created a layered garden of creeping sedges, ornamental grasses, bee balm, mountain mint, shrubby St. John’s wort, fragrant sumac, and more. “The eco-system of the site was so spectacular, it was all I needed for inspiration,” she says.

The rear garden is filled with ferns, sedges, lowbush blueberry, and a poplar tree growing out of a rock face. “The request for grasses and the directive for a soothing green landscape dictated that the gardens be wildish in nature,” Edmonson further explains.

The master bedroom in this prefab passive house in the Catskills looks out onto a private, cantilevered deck. "This house for me is about contemplation," says homeowner Adrian. "You come here from the city and the place is saying, ‘Hi, meet yourself again.’" A low platform bed with stacked pillows instead of a headboard helps maintain that casual feel.

A closet in the guest-room echoes the home’s shape.