Why Are Australian and New Zealand Houses So Cool?  It is a
question I have pondered since I first saw Andre Hodgskin's
Bachkit way back at the turn of the century. Coming from another
big country with a small population, I wondered why their stuff
was so cool, and why ours was generally so banal. Dwell Magazine
looks at the issue this month, and asked Michael Sylvester to
explain. We look at some of Michael's responses, and do our own
roundup of Treehugger coverage of interesting Australian and New
Zealand projects. A ten-foot square by 20 foot high getaway with
corrugated copper siding, three panels that fold down for
security and up for shade, and a big rainwater collection tank
behind. Permanent Camping by Casey Brown  Mythic Isolation:
Michael suggests that "being removed from the rest of the world
geographically, some Australians....cultivated a proud passion
for building a unique identity....Out in the "bush", pioneers
worked hard in isolation to make a future with meagre
resources."  "Within the livin