MOD Weekend 2026: Sarasota Design Conference and Self-Guided Tour

Celebrate 100 Years of Sarasota School: Design Innovation, as we partner with the AIA Gulf Coast's Sarasota Design Conference. Celebrate 100 Years of Sarasota School at the 13th annual Sarasota MOD Weekend with the Sarasota Design Conference and Self-Guided Tour. SARASOTA DESIGN CONFERENCE 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, check-in starts at 8:00 am Architecture Sarasota is excited to partner with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Florida Gulf Coast Chapter to host the Sarasota Design Conference. This year’s event will take place at the iconic St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sarasota, a mid-century masterpiece designed by legendary architect Victor Lundy. Architecture Sarasota's sponsored speaker Leo Marmol will give a timely talk: Modernism in a Changing Climate. Drawing on decades of experience restoring modernist landmarks, Leo Marmol, FAIA, Co-Founder of Marmol Radziner, argues that preservation must evolve in response to accelerating climate instability. Framed by recent California wildfires and hurricanes along Florida's Gulf Coast, he proposes a more adaptive approach, and one that integrates environmental realities, addresses housing needs, and rethinks how buildings endure without suspending them in time. Following will be a panel discussion with Kai-Uwe Bergmann (BIG), Amy Donahue (BORA), Leo Marmol (Marmol Radziner), and Daniel Ralls (Olson Kundig). At 11:30 am, Architecture Sarasota President Marty Hylton will introduce 100 Years of Sarasota School: an initiative that includes a major exhibition, catalog, public lectures, tours, educational programs, and special events that examine the people, principles, and places that have shaped the movement. Together, these programs reveal why the Sarasota School remains internationally significant, and why its ideas about design, innovation, and adaptation are more relevant today than ever. NOTE: This ticket is for the Saturday AM Session; tickets for additional sessions should be purchased from AIA Gulf Coast directly at https://srqdesignconference.com/ SELF-GUIDED TOUR 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm Hop in your car to explore the legacy of Sarasota’s celebrated modernism through a selection of residential, commercial, and educational architecture. This curated tour by shuttle invites you to visit homes and other properties that embody the early era, mid-century, and now living legacy of the Sarasota School of Architecture. These well-preserved — and in some cases, reimagined — spaces continue to inspire, evolve, and redefine how design shapes the way we live. PHOTOS (1) SELF-GUIDED TOUR: Photo by Alive Coverage. (2) VENUE: St. Paul Lutheran Church, photo by Ryan Lester for Architecture Sarasota. (3) SYMPOSIUM: Leo Marmol, Marmol Radnizer.