The Weekend 2019: Sneak Peek!
Posted Wed 5th Jun 2019 | Isabella Radevski
Take ownership of your city
Strong 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 Hobsons 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. The full Weekend program will be announced at the end of June.
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.
Building tours in the 2019 program include:
The Capitol
The Capitol recently reopened its doors after undergoing a major refurbishment by RMIT and Six Degrees Architects (pictured above and below, by Tatjana Plitt). 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 iconic Theatre at The Capitol.
The Capitol ceiling – pre renovation. (Top: The Capitol foyer – current.) Photos: Tatjana Plitt
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.
The Ian Potter Southbank Centre – Photo: Trevor Mein
Melbourne Quarter
Progressive large-scale projects like Melbourne Quarter are quite literally changing the landscape for city workers, with greener open-air alternatives to traditional office environments. Once complete, it will accommodate 14,000 workers and 3,000 residents. The precinct will feature three separate highlights on the Weekend – design and engineering firm Arup will open for guided tours, with experiential lab demonstrations on display in their three-level workspace designed by Hassell. Lendlease will open three levels of their agile new workplace also designed by Hassell, and the bold new wi-fi connected Sky Park will be open for all to explore. The concept of the Sky Park was conceived by Denton Corker Marshall and developed in collaboration with Aspect Oculus.
Arup Melbourne Workplace, Melbourne Quarter – Photo: Earl Carter
Melbourne Quarter + Sky Park – Photo: Courtesy of Lendlease
122 Roseneath St
Projects like the Fieldwork-designed 122 Roseneath St in Clifton Hill showcase how community is the priority in sustainable, high-quality multi-residential developments. A joint venture between Wulff Projects, Icon Developments and Assemble, with a shared mission to create homes they would want to live in themselves. Explore the public and communal areas, two residences and elevated linear parks that seven of the development team now proudly call home.
122 Roseneath St – Photo: Tatjana Plitt
Denton Corker Marshall Studio
The new Denton Corker Marshall (DCM) studio 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.
Denton Corker Marshall Studio – Photo: Shannon McGrath
