The Gold Coast is getting ready to throw open its doors once again. Gold Coast Open House (GCOH) is back on 27–28 September 2025, with a packed program of tours, talks, and events that celebrate the city’s architecture, design, and stories.
The 2025 theme resilience—a fitting focus for a city that’s constantly adapting to coastal conditions, population growth, and cultural change. Over one weekend, the public gets free access to some of the Gold Coast’s most interesting buildings, old and new, with 10 new additions joining the program.
What It’s All About
The festival isn’t just for architects or design buffs—it’s open to anyone curious about how the city is shaped. GCOH invites people to explore behind the scenes of private homes, heritage icons, cultural landmarks, and big infrastructure projects. It’s a reminder that architecture is really about people, community, and place.
As Executive Director Melissa Hoedel puts it: “Gold Coast Open House is about more than architecture—it’s about people, place, and the stories that make the Gold Coast extraordinary. This year’s theme of resilience celebrates how our buildings, landscapes, and communities adapt, endure, and thrive.”
Buildings to Explore
The program stretches right across the city, from Coolangatta up to Southport, with stops in between. A few standouts include:
- Abedian School of Architecture, Bond University – Known for its striking design by CRAB Studio, this open-plan academic building inspires the next generation of architects.
- Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse – Recently restored with a $6.5m upgrade, this icon now brings together maritime history, Indigenous heritage, and incredible views.
- Ceramic House & Preece House, Nerang – Two restored Queenslander homes that tell stories of the city’s domestic and rural past.
- The Pink Hotel, Coolangatta – A retro icon reborn as a cultural hotspot, brimming with character and Gold Coast flair.
- Gold Coast Airport – International Terminal – Go behind the scenes at one of Australia’s busiest regional airports and discover its sustainability initiatives.
- Gold Coast Desalination Plant & Disaster & Emergency Management Centre – Rare access to the essential infrastructure that keeps the city safe and supplied with clean water.
- Flor Wine & Grocer & The Cheshire Cat Motel – Local favourites that reveal how thoughtful design can transform neighbourhood culture.
- Kanooka House – Winner of the 2025 Australian Institute of Architects Gold Coast and Northern Rivers “House of the Year”, this coastal home demonstrates sensitive, sustainable design that harmonises with its environment.
Panel Discussions at Griffith University
The festival is also about asking big questions. On Sunday 28 September Griffith University will host a day of engaging panel discussions, bringing together architects, designers, researchers, and cultural thinkers. The conversations will explore how design can help communities adapt to environmental, social, and technological change.
Highlights include:
Urban Sketchers Talks (9–10am) – Celebrating the global urban sketching movement, with insights from both local and international artists.
Renewable Energy Retrofits (10.30am – 11.45am) – Practical solutions for bringing clean energy into apartment living
Reimagining Waste (12-1pm) – Exploring how circular design can turn construction waste into new opportunities.
Designing for Multi-Generational Living (1.30pm – 2.45pm) – Fresh approaches to homes that welcome and support families across generations.
For those who enjoy thoughtful discussion, this series is a chance to hear from leading voices about the future of cities and sustainable living.
Why You Shouldn’t Miss It
The Gold Coast is a place where surf culture meets high-rise skylines, where heritage cottages sit alongside futuristic infrastructure, and where design continually adapts to the challenges of climate, growth, and lifestyle.
Gold Coast Open House is an invitation to see the city differently—to step inside the spaces that shape daily life, meet the people behind the designs, and consider the resilience of communities in a changing world.
Whether you’re an architect, a student, a design enthusiast, or simply curious about the Gold Coast, the festival offers something rare: a weekend of open doors, open conversations, and open minds!
