Sunshine Coast Open House 2026: Travel Guide for Design Lovers 

Written By LOEA

Sunshine Coast Open House 2026 offers design lovers a chance to explore private homes, heritage buildings, gardens and community spaces across the region from 16 to 25 October. With this year’s theme focused on Sustainable Inclusive Design, this guide highlights the events worth joining, what to look for in Sunshine Coast architecture, and how to plan a design-focused weekend around the Open House programme. 

About Sunshine Coast Open House 2026

Sunshine Coast Open House returns from 16–25 October 2026, celebrating architecture, design, art and heritage across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa region. The 2026 theme is “Sustainable Inclusive Design”, focusing on how thoughtful design can create places that are environmentally responsible, accessible and connected to the communities that use them. 

The programme goes beyond opening buildings to the public. Visitors can join forums, walking tours, urban sketching sessions, photography workshops and design discussions before the main buildings weekend on 24–25 October. For design lovers, this makes Open House an opportunity to understand not just what Sunshine Coast buildings look like, but how architecture, landscape, heritage and community influence the way places are designed. 


Explore the Theme Events of Sunshine Coast Open House 2026

    • Date&Time: Friday, 16 October 2026 | 6:00 pm–9:00 pm

    • Location: Noosa Arts Theatre, 163 Weyba Road, Noosaville

    Held on Friday, 16 October 2026, from 6 pm to 9 pm, this opening forum takes place at Noosa Arts Theatre, 163 Weyba Road, Noosaville. The discussion explores the 2026 theme of Sustainable Inclusive Design and asks how buildings and public spaces can become more welcoming, adaptable and useful for people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds.

    The panel brings together architects, urban designers and community leaders, using case studies to examine inclusive housing, public spaces and neighbourhood design. Tickets are $25, including a complimentary drink, making this a useful starting point for visitors who want to understand the ideas behind the festival.

    • Morning session: 9:30 am–12:00 pm, Caloundra Library Precinct

    • Afternoon session: 1:30 pm–4:00 pm, Bulcock Beach

    On Saturday, 17 October 2026, Peter Richards leads two urban sketching sessions that encourage participants to study the built environment through drawing. The morning session runs from 9:30 am to 12 pm at Library+ Caloundra, 1 Omrah Avenue, focusing on the Caloundra Library Precinct.

    The afternoon session runs from 1:30 pm to 4 pm at Bulcock Beach, at the corner of Minchinton Street and the Esplanade. As a principal of architecture and urban design at Archipelago, Richards uses on-location sketching to help participants slow down, observe architectural details and understand how places are experienced.

    • Date&Time: Sunday, 18 October 2026 | 10:00 am–11:00 am

    • Location: Arts and Ecology Centre, Maroochy Bushland Botanic Garden, 51 Palm Creek Road, Tanawha

    On Sunday, 18 October 2026, from 10am to 11am, Maureen Sheargold leads a guided walk through the Maroochy Bushland Botanic Garden and Arts and Ecology Centre in Tanawha. The meeting point is the Arts and Ecology Centre at 51 Palm Creek Road. The session forms part of the garden's 25th anniversary celebrations.

    The walk examines how design, ecology and community have shaped the garden over time. Visitors explore how native plants, public art, colours, textures and local landscape character can influence gardens, homes and community spaces, offering a practical perspective on designing places that respond to their surroundings.

    • Date&Time: Sunday, 18 October 2026 | 2:00 pm–3:00 pm

    • Location: Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Tanawha

    Taking place on Sunday, 18 October 2026, from 2pm to 3pm, this talk is held at Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, 51 Palm Creek Road, Tanawha. Artist Margit shares her experience of creating and caring for the Phoenix Sculpture Garden with her late husband, sculptor Graham Radcliffe, who died in 2022.

    The session looks at how placing art within nature can influence wellbeing, connection and contemplation. Rather than treating a sculpture garden simply as an exhibition space, Margit presents it as a living environment where nature, creativity and quiet reflection interact, giving design lovers another way to think about the relationship between art and landscape.

    • Date&Time: Saturday, 24 October 2026

    • Location: Landsborough Museum, Landsborough

    Saturday, 24 October 2026 marks the buildings weekend event at the former Shire Council Chambers, now part of Landsborough Museum. The 2026 programme lists this as a community event, giving visitors an opportunity to explore a historic civic building and understand how its restoration has preserved its connection to Landsborough's past.

    The event builds on earlier restoration work that revealed the building's history, including its 1960s colour scheme and original safe. For design lovers, the attraction is the relationship between restoration and heritage: seeing how an older civic building retains its character while remaining part of the town's contemporary cultural landscape.

Why Sunshine Coast Open House Is Worth Visiting for Design Lovers

See Private Homes You Would Normally Never Enter

The 2026 programme includes Pomona House, 62 Tallowwood Place and Bombala, alongside returning homes and other architectural projects across the region. 

For design lovers, you can see how architects respond to the Sunshine Coast’s landscape and climate through orientation, materials, passive design, landscaping and indoor-outdoor living, ideas that are difficult to understand fully from photographs alone. 

Source: Sunshine Coast Council FB

Look Beyond Houses to Community and Heritage Design

Sunshine Coast Open House extends well beyond private residences, with the 2026 programme including community buildings, heritage sites, gardens and infrastructure. Examples include Permaculture Noosa Community Pavilion, Landsborough Museum, Caloundra Lighthouse and Ewen Maddock Dam and Water Treatment Plant.  The Sustainable Inclusive Design theme also encourages visitors to consider how architecture can support accessibility, environmental responsibility and social connection, rather than focusing only on appearance. 

Source: Hello Sunshine Magazine

What to Look For When Visiting Sunshine Coast Architecture

Orientation & Natural Light 

When entering an Open House property, look at which direction the main living spaces face and how the building manages sunlight throughout the day. Orientation affects where sunlight enters, how much shade a home receives and how effectively it captures cooling breezes. Sunshine Coast Open House specifically highlights climate-conscious design and provides resources on house orientation and climate-responsive homes. 

At Pomona House, for example, the architects shaped the residence around passive design and its ridgeline setting, making the relationship between site and building part of the design itself. 

Indoor and Outdoor Connection 

Look at how each building moves between enclosed rooms and outdoor spaces. Verandahs, courtyards, decks, large openings and sheltered terraces often make the landscape feel like an extension of the living area, while also influencing light, airflow and how residents use the home. 

At 62 Tallowwood Place, for example, contemporary pavilions extend a 1990s house into its forested surroundings rather than treating the existing landscape as separate from the architecture. 

Materials & Construction

Pay attention to why particular materials appear where they do, rather than judging them purely by colour or appearance. Look at how timber, masonry, concrete, metal, glass or natural finishes respond to the site's climate, vegetation and intended use.

Permaculture Noosa Community Pavilion, for example, uses traditional cob-building techniques, while 62 Tallowwood Place uses contemporary pavilion forms within a forested setting. These projects demonstrate how construction methods and material choices can contribute to a building's relationship with its environment and community. 

Explore Sunshine Coast Architecture and Design Studios

Hive Architecture Studio

  • Location: 7 Nangara Ct, Buderim QLD 4556

  • Opening hours: 8:30 AM - 5 PM; Sunday - Saturday: Closed

  • Phone: 0412 905 426 

  • Known for its: Residential architecture that responds to the local landscape, climate

For design lovers, Hive Architecture is particularly relevant to the Sunshine Coast Open House theme because its projects explore how homes respond to site, sunlight, breezes and landscape. Its Yaroomba House, for example, was specifically designed around the site's orientation, sunlight and breezes, with materials continuing from exterior to interior to strengthen the indoor-outdoor connection. 

Adrian Ramsay Design House

  • Location: PO Box 609, Buderim, Queensland 4556

  • Phone: 0403 235 604 

  • Known for its: The studio describes its approach through three concepts: “Design Magic”, “Land Whispering” and “My Emotional Floorplan”, with an emphasis on environmentally sensitive design. 

Adrian Ramsay Design House is a useful example for readers interested in how the land influences architecture. Its “Land Whispering” approach considers factors such as natural light, wind movement and the places where people naturally gather before shaping the home's position and design. 

Source: Hive Architecture

Plan Your Sunshine Coast Open House Itinerary

Day 1: Architecture, Coast & Caloundra

  • Morning around Caloundra

  • Join in the Sunshine Coast Open House event

  • Spend the afternoon at Bulcock Beach

Start your morning around Caloundra, where the 2026 Open House programme includes the Caloundra Lighthouse and a Caloundra Library + Town Centre programme. The official buildings weekend places its southern Sunshine Coast focus on Saturday, 24 October. 

After exploring the Open House sites, spend the afternoon around Bulcock Beach, which also features in the programme through Peter Richards' urban sketching session earlier in the festival. Finish the day with a coastal walk or dinner around Caloundra before returning to your accommodation. 

Day 2: Hinterland Design, Gardens & Local Culture 

  • Head towards the Sunshine Coast Hinterland

  • Sunshine Coast Open House event

  • Explore Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens

Explore Open House properties such as Pomona House, 62 Tallowwood Place and the Permaculture Noosa Community Pavilion. These projects offer different perspectives on passive design, forest settings and community-built architecture. 

Continue towards Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens for its native landscape, sculptures and walking paths. 

Practical Tips for Sunshine Coast Open House 2026

  • Check the programme first: Group buildings by location rather than crossing the region repeatedly.

  • Book selected events: Walking tours, workshops and some special events require advance booking.

  • Plan around the dates: The main buildings weekend is 24–25 October 2026.

  • Allow time between visits: Some properties are spread across coastal and hinterland locations.

  • Check each listing before leaving: Confirm opening times, booking requirements and visitor instructions on the official programme.

Where to Stay in Sunshine Coast After The Events

Choosing a central base makes a design-focused Open House weekend easier, particularly when your itinerary combines coastal attractions with hinterland experiences. Staying around Maroochydore also gives you access to beaches, local dining and other Sunshine Coast attractions between event visits.

LOEA Boutique Hotel is a suitable base for design lovers who want to continue the experience beyond Open House. Its boutique positioning and location provide a comfortable place to return to after exploring architecture, gardens and local creative spaces across the Sunshine Coast, while its central location makes it practical for combining different parts of the region in one stay.

FAQs

1. Is Sunshine Coast Open House free?

Yes. Sunshine Coast Open House is a free community event, with the 2026 programme stating that its collection of buildings, gardens, landscapes and spaces is free to explore. Some individual workshops, talks and guided events require advance booking. 

2. What can you see at Sunshine Coast Open House?

The 2026 programme includes contemporary homes, heritage buildings, gardens, community spaces and infrastructure. Highlights include Pomona House, Caloundra Lighthouse, Landsborough Museum, Permaculture Noosa Community Pavilion and 62 Tallowwood Place. 

3. Do you need to book Sunshine Coast Open House events?

Not every activity requires a booking. Some Open House buildings operate as free, walk-in experiences, while selected walking tours, workshops and community events require advance registration. Always check the individual 2026 event listing before visiting. 

LOEA
Next

Travelling with Dogs in Maroochydore (2026 Rules)