This High-Tech Melbourne Home Generates "Way More" Energy Than It Uses

Tranquility, flexibility, and self-sufficiency were top of mind when a self-described "kind of quirky" family of five approached Austin Maynard Architects to design a "super modern" home with a private garden in Prahran, South Melbourne.

Viewed from the street, the Garden House sits pretty as a white-shingled cottage complete with an archetypal pitched roof. However, follow the entry path and the facade gives way to a lush retreat—"like discovering Narnia at the end of a literal yellow brick road," say the architects.