Viewed across the rural landscape, Brownie’s dark-toned ply and batten cladding dissolves into the environment around it. Planned in a square, and with a 90 square metre footprint, the house makes clever use of a loft and an enclosed atrium courtyard that provides shelter in all conditions. With projected windows strategically placed to take in alpine and coastal views, and an extensive sustainable focus that includes photo-voltaics, batteries, LED lights and water storage, Brownie’s is an exemplar of the possibilities of compact rural living.