Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

This Luxe Off-Grid Retreat Will Put You Right at Home on the Farm

This Luxe Off-Grid Retreat Will Put You Right at Home on the Farm

With all its creature comforts hidden beneath a steel shed roof, Gawthorne’s Hut, a vacation rental in Australia’s Mudgee Valley, beckons visitors without breaking up the landscape.

Set amid the rolling hills and lavender fields of a working cattle ranch in Mudgee, Australia, is Gawthorne’s Hut, a shed-roofed cabin by local architect Cameron Anderson. Named after the original owner of the farm, the structure weaves together past and present, combining salvaged brick from the property’s historic cottage with a modern solar array and rainwater harvesting system for a completely off-grid weekend getaway.



"The original brief called for a sustainable tourism experience for two people," explains Anderson. "We also wanted to respond architecturally to the unique qualities of the historical working farm, without creating a burden on aging infrastructure in the larger rural community." The solution is a roughly 430-square-foot, solar-powered single-room cabin that references the local vernacular of hay sheds and cottages in both form and materiality.



The steeply angled roof is clad in galvanized steel, nodding to traditional farm structures while also providing ample surface area for the 6.6-kW photovoltaic array powering the building. "The array meant the need to maximize the northern roof area," explains Anderson. "At the same time, I love the nurturing feeling of the angled roof form internally. It creates scale when required, and a sense of intimacy at the lower part."



Inside, the angled roof form is emphasized via a blackbutt-lined ceiling which also frames valley views to the east. Recycled brick from the farm’s crumbling historic cottage forms the cabin’s single interior wall, injecting a moment of texture and context while also housing internal building services and delineating the washroom. "The wall’s stack bond emphasizes the fact that the bricks are no longer load bearing," states Anderson.



Anderson hopes the self-sufficient and off-grid cabin will provide a path forward for rural areas. "With regional communities growing in population, also growing is the demand on existing power, water, and other services," says Anderson. "Projects like this have a positive role to play in demonstrating how all buildings can function off the grid."



Beyond environmental sustainability, the design, argues Anderson, provides a new solution for financial stability in 21st-century farm communities. "Buildings like this have a role to play in diversifying traditional farm income," he says. "The micro floor plan utilizes a minimal amount of farm land, while providing a significant amount of annual income that can help offset things like drought or other adverse farming conditions."



Floor Plan of Gawthorne’s Hut

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×