Sunshine Coast Council has recently launched a one-stop shop for anyone building or renovating on the Sunshine Coast who wants to build an eco-friendly home within our sub-tropical climate.
The ‘Cool Homes’ booklet and compass will help you discover what makes a comfortable home all year round.
Sunshine Coast Council has developed an educational design booklet and smartphone compass to help people understand our local sub-tropical climate and how the sun in winter and summer impacts the liveability of our homes.
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said we needed to think about how we could continue to protect and enhance our beautiful region and live in a way that didn’t compromise what we all love so much.
“On the Sunshine Coast, we’re moving toward a low carbon, energy and resource-efficient way of life and it’s important to maintain and enhance the lifestyle we treasure,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“Council is setting the pace, with a target to become a zero-net emissions organisation and for the community to be low carbon by 2041.
“This project follows on from the hugely successful Sunshine Coast Design book which launched in 2020 and has set an important design vision for our region.
“Good quality design can be seen across our public spaces including the redevelopment of Bulcock Street, Caloundra, the development of Palmwoods Square, Nambour Forecourt and more recently the Mooloolaba Northern Parklands which offers a wonderful new children’s play space.
“In the last year, we’ve seen our region grow and become home to new families and residents from many different parts of Australia which has had a flow-on effect on our housing and construction markets.
“If you’re buying, building or renovating I encourage you to read the new Cool Homes for the Sunshine Coast booklet, to ensure your home takes advantage of our climate, a home that doesn’t need air conditioning running all summer and heating all winter.”
Sunshine Coast Council’s Liveability and Natural Assets Portfolio Councillor Peter Cox said he was thrilled to see projects such as this come to life to help our community make smart design decisions.
“There’s no denying we have had a hot and humid summer and right now we are in the midst of a mild and cool winter,” Cr Cox said.
“We also have the ability to enjoy an indoor and outdoor lifestyle – especially if we have a home designed to make the most of our weather.
“Living on the Sunshine Coast, is of course, very different to living down south and there is a lot we can do to make our homes more comfortable for the warmer and more humid conditions.
“This new booklet and phone compass can help people understand where to put their rooms, how to let light in to warm or illuminate their home, how to let breezes through, which building materials to consider, where to put shade and the value of gardens to help cool our home.
“The booklet is complete with great tips and ideas and the compass is readily accessible on a smartphone to learn about orientation and the best location for different rooms.
“But these cool tools are not just for those buying or building or for the handy renovators – they can also help our business community, including real estate agents, builders, architects, landscapers, and designers.
“I’m looking forward to seeing our community thinking more sustainably. It’s another step in the right direction to becoming Australia’s most sustainable region.”
These exciting new educational design tools for the Sunshine Coast are available on council’s website by searching ‘Cool Homes’:
A hardcopy booklet can be picked up from Sunshine Coast Libraries and Customer Contact counters and scan the QR code on the back of the booklet to access the compass on your smartphone.
Cool Homes’ seven design tips include:
1. Consider the location of your rooms
2. Create and merge indoor and outdoor living spaces
3. Let breezes in
4. Use sunlight to illuminate and warm your home
5. Choose the right building materials
6. Create shade
7. Include gardens and trees