Open House Melbourne

A huge thank you to Bates Smart Studio Director Johan Hermijanto for leading a sell-out tour of the Practice's legacy projects. The participants loved it as much as we did! "I loved Johan's passion, knowledge and personal engagement with the subject matter and the group, 10/10"

Open House Melbourne Weekend EOI closes TODAY!! Now is the time to jump off LinkedIn and head right over to the EOI application form and pop in your submission. https://lnkd.in/gSgZgME5 Don't miss out on being part of Oceania's largest built environment festival! All applications will be reviewed by the Open House Melbourne Building Council together with the Program team.

Looking forward to This is Public...Space this Monday night, make sure you secure your free ticket! https://lnkd.in/g9Vc24Gk

Our friends ArtsHub have done a write up on This is Public...Space. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/gy4h9jAS

The inaugural Melbourne Conversations event for 2025 - This Is Public... Space - will unpack the ever-evolving role of public space in our city. Moderated by writer, editor and broadcaster, Jeff Sparrow, the conversation asks the questions, Who owns public space? How can we best engage with it? And how should it be shaped for the future? Monday 24 February | 6pm—7.15pm The Edge, Fed Square Free, bookings essential - https://lnkd.in/g7dCWiTT You're invited to get to know the panelists further. Professor Kim Dovey is the Chair of Architecture and Urban Design and Director of the Informal Urbanism Research Hub at University of Melbourne. He is also the author of Framing Places: Mediating Power in Built Form, Fluid City, Becoming Places and Urban Design Thinking. Katrina Sedgwick OAM is the inaugural Director and CEO of Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, overseeing the delivery of the $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation – the country’s largest ever cultural infrastructure project. Sarah Lynn Rees is a Palawa woman descending from the Plangermaireener and Trawlwoolway people of North East Tasmania, Based in Birrarung-ga, Rees is an architectural practitioner, academic and writer. She is a prominent advocate and advisor with a firm commitment to Indigenising the built environment. Claire Martin is an Associate Director at landscape architecture firm Oculus. Through her work with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and the International Federation of Landscape Architects, Claire has championed climate positive design – where design projects produce net positive climate outcomes. This is Public… Space is presented by City of Melbourne in partnership with program curators Open House Melbourne and event partner Fed Square.

In 2025, Open House Melbourne is excited to partner with the City of Melbourne to produce selected Melbourne Conversations. You are invited to attend the inaugural Melbourne Conversations event for this year - This Is Public... Space - and listen to Dr Jeff Sparrow, Claire Martin, Katrina Sedgwick OAM, Dr Kim Dovey and Sarah Lynn Rees as they unpack the ever-evolving role of public space in our city. This is Public…Space Monday 24 February | 6pm–7:15pm The Edge, Fed Square Free, bookings essential - https://lnkd.in/g9Vc24Gk >> Public space is more than just somewhere to sit or wander through - it is an invaluable resource for connection, learning, entertainment, protest, commemoration and celebration. It is a place where community comes together. But as Melbourne transforms, so too should the way we define and use these spaces. From landmark projects like the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation Project to grassroots urban interventions and our footpaths and plazas, an expert panel will explore how these dynamic constants can foster everything from democracy, social inclusion to climate resilience. Listen to panelists challenge conventional thinking on what makes a space truly public.

**Applications close 5pm Friday 21 February** This years Open House Melbourne Weekend theme is ‘Stories of the City’ and Collaborators are invited to submit an EOI to be part of the Weekend. We want to hear stories that connect people with the city’s past and present, uncovering the narratives that have shaped Melbourne’s identity. We welcome 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. Apply via: https://lnkd.in/gSgZgME5

We're heading to the city tomorrow to deliver the next instalment of Making Home. Make Room is a newly completed specialist supportive housing project which addresses the critical needs of people experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness within our city. We'll have representatives from Unison Housing, City of Melbourne, cohealth, i2C Architects and Tract Consultants to speak about the project from design to delivery and beyond. A couple of tickets have just become available so get in quick to learn about this ground breaking project. Making Home is presented by Open House Melbourne and funded by the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation.

Busting the school holiday blues, we are super excited to present OPEN Play at MPavilion! Kids young and old are invited to get their creative minds dreaming. This interactive workshop, for ages 3 to 10, is all about puzzling through fun design challenges using colourful, felt shapes. All the materials are supplied and it’s drop-in style. So, you can join in when it suits, and experiment with building gardens and playgrounds inspired by MPavilion’s park setting. Monday 13 + 20 January 10am–1pm, drop-in style Free, bookings recommended https://lnkd.in/gv4Jxh_j Katie and Piera look forward to seeing you and your young protégés there!

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