The Calile

Located in the heart of the James Street precinct, The Calile Hotel is widely recognised as one of Brisbane’s most celebrated architectural destinations. Designed by Brisbane-based architects Richards & Spence, the hotel reimagines the subtropical resort within an urban setting, combining breezeways, open-air corridors and lush planting to blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors.

As part of Brisbane Open House, visitors are invited to explore a lesser-seen part of the building — the hotel’s rooftop garden. Tucked above the hotel’s distinctive white-brick façade and pool terrace, the garden forms part of the Calile’s sustainability and culinary program, growing herbs, vegetables and flowers used in the hotel’s restaurants, bars and rooms.

The rooftop features rows of planter boxes producing seasonal crops, alongside beehives that supply honey for the hotel’s kitchens. The garden is cultivated using organic and permaculture principles, supporting a “rooftop-to-table” approach that allows ingredients to be harvested just steps from where they are prepared and served.

This special tour offers a rare opportunity to experience the rooftop landscape and learn about how food production, sustainability initiatives and design thinking are integrated within one of Brisbane’s most influential contemporary buildings.

Participants will gain insight into the hotel’s architectural approach to climate, landscape and hospitality, and discover how the rooftop garden contributes to the Calile’s broader environmental and dining philosophy.