The Weekend
The Open House Melbourne Weekend celebrates good design by opening up a diverse range of buildings, places and spaces, inspiring public engagement in conversations about the future of our city.
Taking place annually in the last weekend of July, the Weekend presents open buildings, tours, talks and events in collaboration with architects and designers, building custodians, community organisations and creative practitioners that demonstrate the significant role that design has to play in the issues shaping our city.
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Open Nature
Open Nature is a series of guided walks, talks, tours, workshops and events exploring our relationship with the natural environment in relation to the urban realm. By offering participants the opportunity to learn through active engagement, Open Nature considers ecologically responsive, ‘more than human’ design practices committed to the health and sustainability of our natural ecosystems which are vital to a thriving future for us all.
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Modern Melbourne
Modern Melbourne is a series of filmed interviews and rich archival material that documents the extraordinary lives and careers of some of Victoria’s most important architects and designers.
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The Naked Architect
The Naked Architect is an educational documentary series for people considering working with an architect on a new home or renovation project, but don’t know where to start.
Through a series of interviews between a client, architect and builder or consultant, viewers are given an insight into the process and questions which are useful in selecting the right architect for their project.
Stay tuned for new episodes coming in 2024!
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Stroll the City
Choose your own adventure with this self-guided, interactive audio map to learn about the successes, challenges and opportunities for our city – past, present and future.
Wind your way through Melbourne’s city streets, laneways, buildings and parklands with cultural leaders and industry experts and uncover its hidden gems and share insights into our ever-evolving built environment.
Hear about ‘designing policy for people’ or rediscover our city through a lens of food and hospitality or visit city-shaping designs from the Shrine and Fed Square to the floating wetlands.
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Designing with Country
Designing with Country looks at the translation of First Peoples’ knowledges and culture into architecture, landscape architecture and the urban realm and how this is shaping our built and natural environment.
Designing with Country encourages meaningful conversations to unpack how architects and built environment professionals can work together with First Peoples to ensure we are designing respectfully and thoughtfully with, and on, Country.
Making Home
Open House Melbourne bridges the information gap between industry, government and education and the general public. Bringing together architects, community housing providers, government bodies, researchers and lived-experienced speakers, Making Home shines a light on the issues that drive homelessness and influence the provision of social and affordable housing in Victoria.
Making Home helps public 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.
Catalyst Conversations
Catalyst projects are projects that precipitate or seed change. The City+Regional Catalyst Conversations look at projects that have effects beyond their boundaries.
Catalyst Conversations look at the design and delivery of significant projects to tell stories of their impact on the communities and the places in which they are located. They unpack how these projects connect people to place and help audiences to better understand why good design is important and how people can influence the shape and form of the places in which they live.
OPEN Play
OPEN Play is Open House Melbourne’s educational program for young people and youth exploring the role good design plays in shaping our community and city.
Through a series of creative small group art + craft workshops utilising recycled materials, interesting objects and their creativity, OPEN Play inspires young people to consider the future design of their community.
This is Public
This is Public is the opening event of each Open House Weekend. It frames the broader programming, provides a thematic overview of the Weekend, highlighting key programs and participants.
Showcasing a range of speakers from design professionals, through academics and government representatives, to community members, This is Public presents key projects important to their location and highlights how design is contributing to the delivery of better places and outcomes for the people who live, work and play there.
Heritage Address
The Heritage Address is an annual lecture given on matters relating to our heritage. It is presented by the Heritage Council of Victoria as part of the Open House Melbourne Weekend.
Open House Regional
Each year Open House Melbourne hits the road and heads regional with a program of walks, talks and tours that showcases the rich architecture, big ideas and design practice shaping the future of our growing regional centres across Victoria.
