Mudgee Permanent Camping, Casey Brown Architects

With an elevation that looks like an owl raising its wings in flight, Mudgee Permanent Camping is indeed a curious and quirky residence. Designed by Casey Brown Architects as a retreat in New South Wales, Mudgee Permanent Camping packs a punch despite its mere 3x3m footprint. The two-story building is completely clad in copper, but the first floor’s façade is transformative. Winches are used to lift these “wings,” revealing glazing that enables sunlight to penetrate the house. The prefab structure boasts a recycled ironbark interior, which is self-sustaining with an indoor, slow combustion wood-burning stove and an outdoor water tank. Surrounded by plains and a sprinkling of trees, Mudgee Permanent Camping has free reign over its territory and is quite a presence among Australia’s wilderness.