Take ownership of your city at Open House Melbourne 2019

RMIT Capitol Theatre - photo by Tatjana PlittStrong cities empower communities, which is why the 2019 Open House Melbourne Weekend on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July will open sites and explore crucial city issues through the lens of open access and inclusion.

As in past years, an astounding selection of significant commercial and civic buildings, private homes, infrastructure and landscape projects will be open to the public, demonstrating some of Melbourne’s most progressive historical, contemporary and future-facing ideas in place-making.

A total of 200 buildings will take part and while the overall number has not increased, the Weekend program has been refined significantly, and includes 73 new sites to explore. Close to half of these will open in the City of Melbourne and there is an expanded footprint to explore in Williamstown, Spotswood, Newport and Altona with new precinct partner, City of Hobson’s Bay.

Along with the open buildings, there are a number of other events taking place over the Weekend. These include Westgate Tunnel tours, residential construction tours led by emerging architects, suburban walking tours by Jane’s Walks and hospitality tours featuring Melbourne’s dining institutions. There will be over 35 family friendly events or activities to explore. Building tours in the 2019 program include:

The Capitol
The Capitol (pre-renovation pictured above) recently reopened its doors after undergoing a major refurbishment by RMIT and Six Degrees Architects. The 1924 Chicago Gothic-style theatre, designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin, has been transformed it into a contemporary destination for culture, education and innovation. Be one of the first to discover the rich history and sensational recalibration of this treasured Melbourne landmark on a self-guided tour through the elaborate Foyer, Salon, Lounge and the iconic Theatre.

The Ian Potter Southbank Centre
The Ian Potter Southbank Centre, designed by by John Wardle Architects, is the new home of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The flagship rehearsal and performance space at the University of Melbourne’s Southbank campus is turning heads with design measures that foster interaction between musicians and the boarder community. Tours will take in the Kenneth Myer Auditorium, including on-the-hour demonstrations of the six-metre oculus window in action.

Denton Corker Marshall Studio
The new Denton Corker Marshall (DCM) studio (pictured below) in IM Pei’s classic modernist tower at Collins Place is a workshop for the making of architecture. It is designed to inspire creativity and reflect DCM’s design approach: simple, raw and minimalist. Turn up for tours by practice employees for an insight into the workings of one of Australia’s most notable architectural practices.

An expanded July program of events will also be announced later this month including new keynote program Urban Tactility, a site-specific public installation in the courtyard of the Immigration Museum. Shifting perspectives, this event will challenge participants to sense for themselves how our cities are changing to better accommodate blindness and visual impairment.

The 2019 Open House Melbourne Weekend takes place on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July. The full Weekend program will be announced at the end of June. For more information, visit: www.openhousemelbourne.org for details.

Image: The Capitol (pre-renovation) – photo by Tatjana Plitt