Rafters notched to sit against huge boards is because the windows are fitted into rafters. The top floor has full windows on all four walls. with the fourth wall as a spare bedroom. Much like a T formation.
The house was designed for energy efficiency by a well known architect that also design for Benson Woods. The house achieve 5+ rating and so far in the past four years, heated and cooled solely on the Mitsubishi split system. There is a backup baseboard propane heating system which was never used. The home was featured in various national magazines in the US and Canada. I'm not the owner, but the project manager.
As for the ridge boards, original plans were for steel I-Beams. I found the ridge boards from Canada to be cheaper and stronger.
Here is another project I am currently working on. This is a modular home built by Benson Woods. I think this is what you have in mind. What you see are self contained slabs between the rafters. This home is extremely energy efficient. With a Southern exposure to the sun, the owner may well do away with heating altogether! He does have propane backup.
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