Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Mark Austin and Andrew Maynard, together with their team at Australia-based Austin Maynard Architects, designed Garden House, which was designed to function off-grid.

The house is completely self-powered, all-electric with no connection to the gas network. Hot water, space heating and cooling, hydronic heating, pool heating – is all supplied by highly efficient heat pumps. Cooking is done on induction cooktops and electric fan-forced ovens (and a steam oven).

The family’s electric car is also completely powered by the house, ensuring they never have to pay for power or fuel.

More than just a house, Garden House is a power station, pushing far more sustainable energy back into our shared energy grid than it uses.

This is the future of sustainable energy. Electrified homes, powered by the sun, powering our shared energy grid.

The average Australian house uses 19kwh of energy per day. Garden House produces 100kwh per day and has a 26kwh Tesla battery. A high-performing, hi-tech, inner-city oasis, Garden House illustrates the future of sustainable energy – electrified homes, powered by the sun, powering our shared energy grid.

The owners came to us with a highly detailed and specific brief. They wanted a sustainable, super modern, long-term family home, that could change and adapt over time.

Located on a long and narrow street, lined with long and narrow blocks, in Prahran, Garden House is a wholly unexpected family home. At street-view, the simple and domestic scale garage appears to be the house, in its entirety. A pretty, white shingled cottage with a perfect pitched roof.

Walk down the side pedestrian alleyway and the main front door opens up to reveal a much bigger property concealed within – like discovering Narnia at the end of a literal yellow brick road.

Though the owners wanted a home with the capacity to regularly entertain dozens of people, space for their three children to grow up and a dedicated office/conference room, they didn’t want the feeling of a big house.

Instead, the bulk of the home is broken up into four distinct elements appearing as separate buildings, ‘invisibly’ connected via mirrored glass corridors that reflect the deep-rooted garden.

A two-car garage and workshop face the street, with an all-purpose rumpus room behind and home office/conference suite above.

Living/dining/kitchen (with hidden pantry and laundry) all open out to the garden.

The main bedroom has an ‘open balcony’ lounge area and ensuite, while the children have a dedicated area with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a TV/rumpus room and a netted play stair.

Internally there are concealed doors allowing for spaces to be opened up or sealed off. Large openings connect the inside with the garden, with seasonal outdoor spots such as the fire pit, shaded outdoor table, sunny lawn and heated pool.

Architects: Austin Maynard Architects
Design Team: Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, and Ray Dinh
Landscape Architects: Eckersley Garden Architecture
Clients: Private
Photographers: Derek Swalwell