Open House Melbourne

Our Summer Fun(draisers) talk + tour program takes you up close and behind-the-scenes with design experts, all the while making a valued contribution to Open House Melbourne. Brought to you with the generous support of our friends and partners, we thank Transurban, Lovell Chen and Helen Sweatman for tour presentations these past few months. Coming up in early 2025, everyone is invited to join tours with KTA, GML Heritage, ASPECT Studios, Peter Maddison and Bates Smart. Explore the Summer Fun(draisers) program via https://lnkd.in/gnenSw_e >>> Tour Feature >>> 'Past and Present' walking tour with Bates Smart Thursday 13 February Join Bates Smart’s studio director, Johan Hermijanto as he leads a walking tour along the east end of Melbourne, taking guests along Spring Street and then down Collins Street. As one of Australia’s oldest firms, visitors will hear about projects from the firms rich history, including St Michael’s Church originally constructed in the 1860’s to the more recent, award-winning residential towers at 17 and 35 Spring Street and our projects in between. Book via: https://lnkd.in/gqBAgybi Photos: Tom Roe, Peter Clark, Gavin Green

Recently, more than 60 people were invited inside the new Housing Choices Australia McKenzie Street development as part of Open House Melbourne’s Making Home tour series.   A highlight of Geelong Design Week, Making Home: Belmont provided an opportunity for the general public to learn about the design and delivery of this community housing project and how the design decisions are meeting changing contemporary needs.    It was our pleasure to have building architects Victoria Reeves and Michael Macleod from Kennedy Nolan Architects and Michael Mikulic, Development Manager from community housing provider Housing Choices Australia (HCA) lead the tour, weaving participants through the Belmont site, exploring a two-bedroom unit, garden and common areas.     We were excited to have HCA be part of the program, with Michael Mikulic noting,   “I was delighted with the turnout and sentiment of the attendees. [The program] allowed us to not only showcase our new development, but also have the opportunity to broaden the knowledge around social and affordable housing in the public sphere by presenting an example of built form that is well constructed and architecturally pleasing, whilst providing secure and stable housing for a vulnerable cohort.    “We sincerely hope the attendees of the site tours left with a positive impression of what social and affordable housing can be, and we would encourage other like-minded organisations to share their housing examples through Open House Melbourne.   Open House Melbourne invites other housing providers to consider being part of the Making Home program and submitting an EOI via https://lnkd.in/gaRSKGGR.

Last Thursday evening, friends of Open House Melbourne Veeral Patel and Onisha Patel welcomed us to their iconic Robin Boyd house, Wildwood. It was a wonderful occasion to thank our valued donors, partners and advocates for supporting us in 2024. Their financial contribution to Open House Melbourne has helped us amplify an exceptional Weekend festival and significantly ramp up our year-round programming. As Executive Director Tania Davidge noted,   We see the impact our programming on the ground. We see how our audiences engage with the history of our cities and our towns, their culture and community and the way they are shaped and formed. We see our audience’s curiosity and their passion. We see how people are inspired by Victoria’ wonderful and diverse urban environments and our programming.      We see how our programming coalesces a community of advocates for our work and for good design.    No other organisation in Victoria delivers the conversations, experiences and engagement focused on the built environment in the way that Open House Melbourne does. We are a critical voice in issues facing our State and communities, housing, infrastructure, planning, climate change, and economic and social challenges.    Open House’s programming has never been more critical.    We know the good design conversation is slow. But we have been around for 17 years and with your support, we are committed to being around for many more years to come! A special thanks to INDESIGNLIVE DQ for your generous Habitus magazines for guests, featuring Wildwood house. MAJOR SPONSORS City of Melbourne Creative Victoria Efront Studio Payne MAJOR PROGRAM PARTNERS Architects Registration Board of Victoria Department of Transport and Planning The Heritage Council of Victoria Metro Tunnel Creative Program National Gallery of Victoria Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust MAJOR PRACTICE PARTNERS Architectus Lovell Chen Partridge MAJOR PRECINCT PARTNERS Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co) SPONSORS Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) PROGRAM PARTNERS ACMI ANZ ArchiTeam Cooperative Ltd Australian Institute of Architects Big Plans DeathTech Research Team in association with the University of Melbourne (School of Computing and Information Systems and School of Culture and Communication) The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust RMIT University PRACTICE PARTNERS Cox Architecture Bates Smart Fender Katsalidis GJM Heritage Hansen Partnership Hayball PRECINCT PARTNERS City of Port Phillip Yarra City Council Hobsons Bay City Council Maribyrnong City Council Melbourne School of Design Whitehorse City Council MEDIA & DIGITAL PARTNERS ArchitectureAu Boom Studios Ellikon Fine Printers Matt Richards Adam Valentine SUPPORTERS Committee for Melbourne Open House Worldwide Pinsent Masons Safety in Numbers Syracuse PATRON Daniel Dorall Photos: Claire Curnow

Last night, our team had the pleasure of attending the Shrine of Remembrance special panel discussion exploring the Designing Remembrance exhibition. For 90 years the Shrine has stood as an iconic sentinel in Melbourne's architecture, but what if things had turned out differently? Thank you to panel host Peter Maddison and panelists Philip Goad, Dr Katti Williams and Neil Sharkey for your passionate and incredibly informative insight into the winning (and runner up) designs of the Shrine of Remembrance. We're still pondering what the landscape would look like if the Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin with Australian architect Eric Nicholls entry, a facade with layered modules likened to a crystal that grows, had been selected...

We are excited to announce the Expressions of Interest for the Open House Melbourne 2025 Weekend festival are now OPEN! In Melbourne, every building, street and public place tells a unique story and we invite you to share your ‘Stories of the City’ with our vast public audience. Shaped by its transformation over time and the diverse communities that live here, the city is more than its bricks and mortar—the city is about people and place. The stories of our city are embedded in its urban landscapes and the people who live, work and play here. Open House Melbourne welcomes all kinds of stories. Stories that are personal and stories that are collective. Stories that explore our heritage or look to the future. Stories of Country, migration, innovation, resilience, and community. We want to hear stories that connect people with the city’s past and present, uncovering the narratives that have shaped Melbourne’s identity. Submissions are due by 5pm Friday 21 February, so now is the time to get cracking on your application! For more information, head to: https://lnkd.in/gSgZgME5

As part of the upcoming Geelong Design Week 2024, we are excited to partner with the City of Greater Geelong to present Making Home: Belmont. We invite audiences to tour the new residential development and learn about the architect-designed, environmentally sustainable affordable homes. Hear from architects Victoria Reeves and Michael Macleod from Kennedy Nolan Architects and Michael Mikulic, Development Manager from community housing provider Housing Choices Australia, as they shine a light on the design and delivery of this community housing project and how it meets changing contemporary needs. Book via: https://lnkd.in/gtm6DWqQ >> Open House Melbourne's Making Home program strives to help audiences better understand the need for social and affordable housing, how it is being delivered and how thinking around the design (including sustainability) and delivery of social and affordable housing is changing to meet contemporary needs.

The Open House Melbourne 2024 July Weekend festival was enthusiastically embraced, attracting over 63,000 in-person and online visits including open buildings, tours, talks, events, exhibitions and online programs. This year’s theme, RE/DISCOVER Your City, encouraged Melburnians and the broader community to reconnect with the places they love, explore new offerings and gain an understanding of the city from different perspectives. To learn more about the 2024 July Weekend's visitor engagement and impact, read the Weekend report here: https://lnkd.in/gXvhX9vW Open House Melbourne could not deliver our program without the support and generosity of many dedicated organisations and people. We thank our Major Sponsors—the City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria and OHM’s long-term partners Studio Payne and Efront Digital, alongside our Major Program partners ARBV, Department of Transport and Planning and The Heritage Council of Victoria, Major Practice partners Architectus, Lovell Chen and Partridge, Major Precinct Partners Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co) and the generous contribution of the OHM Board, Building Council and Volunteer Council. Sincere thanks to our Collaborators, valued Practice, Program and Precinct Partners, Media and Digital Partners, Donors, Sponsors and over 400 passionate and pink-vested volunteers. And finally, we would like to acknowledge the passionate engagement and enthusiastic participation of our audience—it is wonderful to program for people who love the city and good design as much as we do. Thank you!

We can't wait for this enlightening conversation and to learn more about the design competition behind the beloved Shrine of Remembrance and what could have been. See you there!

Recently, we relaunched our Open House Melbourne podcast with 'Catalyst', a limited edition conversation series that unpacks clever design solutions in the built environment. Host Tania Davidge deep dives with designers and field experts as they explore themes and issues that act as catalysts for creative design thinking. The first episode looked at Critters as Catalysts for design and engineering, with engineer Peter Standen from Partridge and architect Stuart Harrison from Harrison and White Pty Ltd exploring how engineering and design can help to take care of our more than human friends. Last week's conversation Flood as Catalyst with planner Jane Keddie from Hansen Partnership and architect James Davidson from JDA Co discusses how planning and design can work with the weather and environmental flows to mitigate risk and rethink our relationship to water. In today's episode Audience as Catalyst, Tania Davidge speaks with Professor Katya Johanson from Edith Cowan University and architect and founding director, ian mcdougall from ARM Architecture, to help unpack the relationship of audience to the design of the contemporary performing arts centre. Episodes are released every Wednesday. Listen to the Catalyst podcast series via Apple, Spotify and any good podcast platform or listen via https://lnkd.in/gZRvxHPv The Catalyst podcast series is presented by Open House Melbourne and produced with the assistance of The Alastair Swayn Foundation. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/gxn5GRy. Image: Geelong Arts Centre. Photo: Peter Foster, courtesy of ARM.

Vale Graeme Gunn AM   Graeme Gunn is one of Victoria’s most significant designers and a recipient of the highest honour in Australian architecture, the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal.    Architect, urban designer and former Dean of Architecture at RMIT University, his early career was influenced by his time at Grounds, Romberg and Boyd. Through his significant contributions, he played a key role in shaping architecture and the profession in Victoria and beyond. The Brutalist Plumbers and Gasfitters Union building is one of his most celebrated projects and he was pivotal in the success of Merchant Builders. To learn more of his life and career, we invite you to watch this episode of Modern Melbourne.