When Alexander Michael was inspecting a property in the Kangaroo Valley area to build a home, he had a clear criteria in mind.
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"I said to the agent, 'we want privacy, water, rainforest and views'," he said.
"In Kangaroo Valley, views are pretty easy to come by. But to get a view that faces north is rare, because most of the valley faces east-west.
"So that was the absolute clincher of why we bought it. "
The two-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 38C Scotts Road, Upper Kangaroo River is positioned on top of an escarpment, on about 100 acres.
It features a combination of rainforest, gardens, lawns, bush tracks, ponds and streams.
It's now for sale with a price guide of $4.75 million.
The home was built and conceived by acclaimed designer Mr Michael, who bought the block in late 2002. The home was completed in 2003.
"It was a space that we wanted to be in total contact with the environment, which is why it's kind of built like a tent," he said.
"We wanted to spend time walking in the forest, gardening and for lack of a better term, being close to nature."
The home utilises mainly concrete, galvanised steel and glass, as well as a little timber.
"The industrial style was inspired by a property that I had in the US - an old military property," Mr Michael said.
"That's where a lot of the language came from for the building, and my fascination with the military industrial complex."
It's also 'off-the-grid'; featuring solar power with battery bank, rainwater and natural spring harvesting, and a Tesla charging station.
"I insisted that the house be completely solar passive," Mr Michael said.
"So having access to the northern sunlight, as well as the 360-degree views was just ideal."
He said the bedrooms were deliberately located separately from the main living area.
"I wanted that feeling of escape," he said. "If you're coming from the city, I wanted it to feel like you had to get through nature to get to your bedrooms, or to move from one space to the other.
"And I wanted that kind of resort feeling, where if you wanted to crash out you didn't have to worry about people making noise in the main house. You have real sound and visual separation from the building."
Mr Michael said the property was being sold as he was planning his next project.
"I've had it for nearly 20 years and built it with my partner Tony, who passed away, and basically everything I wanted to achieve with that house I achieved," he said.
"I love designing and creating, and so there's no more designing or creating to do in that house. So I'm on to the next one."
Co-selling agent, Kate McCullagh from DiJones Southern Highlands said the home had been on the market for about a week, but was already attracting interest from Sydney buyers.
"It's absolutely rock star," she said. "The views are just unbelievable.
"It's so beautiful, so serene, and the foresight to have built where he has... It's just amazing."