Solar-powered new home in suburb of Canberra, Australia, designed to rotate 360 degrees to track sun, direct heat into living spaces is expected to be sold for at least AU$1M at auction

Allison Oesterle

SYDNEY , May 13, 2013 (Daily Telegraph ) – ONE lucky homeowner will be able to chase the sun all year round -- without having to leave their front door.

This stunning, high-tech house, which goes up for auction tomorrow night, can rotate 360 degrees, all at the touch of a button.

Giving new meaning to the real estate term ``sun-drenched'', the four-bedroom property in Crace, a suburb in Canberra's north, is also completely solar powered thanks to 24 photovoltaic panels on the garage.

The house, called Girasole, on Indi Close, is the brainchild of local builder John Andriolo of MAG Constructions.

Supported by 28 wheels and driven by two silent motors, the property has been designed to track the sun so that heat pours into the living areas in winter and can be kept at bay during the harsh summer months.

Energy bills are a thing of the past thanks to solar panels which generate 10,500 kilowatts of power.

The property comes with a four-car garage and a 120,000-litre rainwater tank.

``The design of this house started when I was a 10-year-old boy and learnt that Galileo said `E pur si muove', which means `it's moving','' Mr Andriolo said. ``I said to myself one day I will build a house that follows the sun.''

The rotation mechanism is controlled by a touchscreen panel and has three different speeds, the quickest of which allows the house to rotate completely in 13 minutes.

The plumbing and wiring is in the centre of the house and, using flexi-pipe, rotates with the property to about 500 degrees, or 1 1/2 turns, before needing to come back the other way.

``We've had hundreds of people through the open inspections,'' Stephen Bunday of LJ Hooker Dickson said. ``The problem is it's hard to tell how many were generally interested and how many just came to check it out.''

The price guide for the auction is yet to be determined but co-agent Anthony Sorace said it will be at least just over $1 million.

``It's such a unique property that it will basically sell for as much as someone is willing to pay,'' he said. ``If there is some competition it may sell for a lot more.''

Mr Bunday added: ``Mr Andriolo only finished building the house a week before we started the marketing campaign. I'm surprised that he's selling it. His eyes glaze over when he talks about it and it really seems like he wants to live there.''

Mr Bunday believes that the builder may move into the property if it fails to fetch the right price at auction, to be held at the Canberra Business Event Seminar.
(c) 2013 News Limited

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.