Award-Winning Coolum Beach Houseand Land Package at 16 Horizons Drive

Some Coolum Beach house and land packages are built to a template. Others are designed around the land itself,

block by block, slope by slope. 16 Horizons Drive at Coolum Horizons Estate is very much the second kind, and

we're thrilled to share that it's just been recognised for it.

Huge congratulations to Rustin Obery and the team at Iziko Designs, whose concept for 16 Horizons Drive has

taken out first place for Residential Conceptual Design at the 2026 Building Design Queensland Sunshine Coast

Regional Design Awards. The win doesn't stop on the Sunshine Coast either; the project now heads to the

Building Design Queensland State Design Awards in October 2026, going up against the best of what's being

designed right across Queensland.

It's a brilliant result, and a fitting one. This home was designed specifically for one of the more dramatic

elevated sites within Coolum Horizons, and it's a genuinely great example of what a Coolum Beach house and

land package can become when the design responds to the land, rather than trying to force a conventional floor

plan onto a site that deserves a bit more thought.

Designing for the land, not around it

One of the things that makes Coolum Horizons so unique is its elevation. The sloping homesites here create

opportunities for privacy, outlook and architecture that simply aren't possible on a typical flat residential block,

and that's part of what sets these house and land packages apart from most of what's on offer across the rest of

the Sunshine Coast.

Of course, that opportunity comes with a catch: a sloping block demands a very different design approach.

For Rustin and the team at Iziko Designs, that approach starts long before pen touches paper. Rustin walks every

site himself first, taking in the orientation, the breeze, the views, the access and the natural fall of the land before

a single line is drawn. It's a slower, more deliberate way to design, but it's exactly why the homes he creates end

up feeling like part of the site rather than something simply placed on top of it.

16 Horizons Drive is that philosophy in its fullest form, and a genuine showcase of what considered Sunshine

Coast property design can achieve on a block most builders would rather avoid.

A home centred around a courtyard

From the street, the home has a strong but understated presence, with dark vertical cladding, natural stone and a

horizontal roofline creating a simple, contemporary form that doesn't shout for attention, but earns it anyway.

Beyond the entry, the house opens around a central landscaped courtyard, with native grasses and a timber

boardwalk leading through toward glass sliding doors, the pool and hinterland view framed perfectly beyond.

Rather than treating the slope as a constraint, the design uses the changing levels and orientation of the site to

create a home with its own character and sense of place.

The darker external palette also allows the building to sit quietly within the landscape, particularly as the light

changes throughout the day. By dusk, that same palette recedes further still while the interior glows warmly

from within, landscape lighting picking out the native planting and boulder retaining along the slope. It's moody

without ever feeling closed off, and it's a much harder balance to strike on a sloping block than the finished

result makes it look.

A special result for Iziko Designs

This win means a little more than most. Rustin is currently building his own family home right here at Coolum

Horizons, drawn to the same sloping sites he designs for because he genuinely believes in what they can

become.

Having spent years designing homes for challenging sites across the Sunshine Coast, this estate represents much

of what Iziko Designs is passionate about: architecture that responds to its surroundings and makes the most of a

block that asks a little more of its designer. Seeing 16 Horizons Drive take out first place at a regional level, and

now head off to compete at the Queensland State Design Awards in October 2026, is a well-earned milestone

for the whole team, and a great reflection of what's possible at Coolum Horizons when the architecture is

designed specifically around the site.

Congratulations again to Rustin and everyone at Iziko Designs. It's a win worth celebrating.

Considering a house and land package at Coolum Horizons?

For anyone weighing up land or house and land opportunities in Coolum Beach, 16 Horizons Drive offers a

genuine glimpse of what's achievable when a home is designed specifically for its site.

Rather than starting from a generic floor plan, homes within Coolum Horizons can be shaped around the

individual block, taking full advantage of its orientation, elevation, outlook and unique character. Iziko Designs

can work with buyers to develop a custom home built specifically around their chosen site, their lifestyle, their

budget, and the way they actually want to live.

Frequently asked questions

Can you build on a sloping block on the Sunshine Coast?

Absolutely, and often to better effect than a flat block. Sloping sites need careful planning, but they also create

opportunities for split-level living, elevated views, greater privacy and more interesting architecture. The key is

considering the slope from the very beginning of the design process, exactly the approach behind the award-

winning concept at 16 Horizons Drive.

Can I customise my home at Coolum Horizons?

Yes. Buyers can work with Iziko Designs to develop a home around their individual block, lifestyle, budget and

design preferences, rather than choosing from a fixed set of house and land package designs.

Why design specifically for a sloping site?

A site-specific design allows the home to respond to the natural levels of the land, rather than relying heavily on

excavation or trying to adapt a floor plan that was really intended for a flat block. It also helps make far better

use of views, orientation, natural light and connections to outdoor living areas.

Come and experience Coolum Horizons

Renders can only tell you so much. The elevation, the outlook, the way the light moves through a courtyard like

this one; all of it is best understood standing on the ridgeline yourself.

With a limited number of homesites remaining, come and walk the land at Coolum Horizons. Speak with Rustin

and the Iziko Designs team about the possibilities for your own block, or contact Peter Ware to arrange an

inspection.