OHM 2018

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In keeping with the flavour of the week and in the lead up to Open House Melbourne 2018 this coming weekend (Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July), Urban.com.au is highlighting events on the program which provoke discourse about our built environment and encourage us to consider how our cities develop in the future.

Urban.com.au will also be present during OHM2018 to provide a weekend roundup.

Entering its 11th year, Open House Melbourne encourages industry and the public alike to consider the design, development and growth of our city and encourage curiosity in Melbourne’s built environment with 224 sites and 87 new buildings in the program. The City of Melbourne alone is hosting 84 buildings open to the public.

<blockquote>
Melbourne is a city full of historic architecture and modern design just waiting to be explored and we’re encouraging people to explore Open House Melbourne this July.

From amazing and well-known buildings such as the State Library of Victoria, to recent architectural gems including Buxton Contemporary in Melbourne’s arts precinct, there’s something sure to surprise everyone. The City of Melbourne is a proud partner of Open House Melbourne and we’re excited to provide people with a behind the scenes peek at some of our most iconic sites and learn about the people who shaped them and the stories they have to tell.

- Sally Capp, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/urban_city_mb.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="OHM2018 will promote discourse around our built environment. Image: Mark Baljak/Urban.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/urban_city_mb.jpg?itok=pmjD82pw" title="OHM2018 will promote discourse around our built environment. Image: Mark Baljak/Urban.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>OHM2018 will promote discourse around our built environment. Image: Mark Baljak/Urban.com.au</figcaption></figure>Additionally, in response to the big ideas discussed at the globally-focused <a href="https://forum.naomimilgromfoundation.org/">Living Cities Forum</a> on the Thursday prior, a panel of Melbourne design and planning experts will discuss how these apply to some of our city’s biggest challenges including rapid population growth, housing, densification/sprawl, and congestion at the Ethical Cities Panel on Friday 27th July presented by Open House Melbourne, Communications Collective, and the Naomi Milgrom Foundation.

The panel will address questions such as; Where are we failing? Who is innovating? How can we collectively ensure our city thrives? What does the future hold for Melbourne?  

Highlights in the City of Melbourne during and in the lead up to the weekend include:

<h2>Collectivity Talks – Ethical Cities panel</h2>

Friday 27 July 2018 | 12.30pm–1.30pm | Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, NGV International 180 St Kilda Road, Southbank 3006 

A panel of leading Melbourne and planning experts will come together to distil the big ideas discussed at the 2018 Living Cities Forum in a free* lunchtime talk, as part of Open House Melbourne’s July program. 

The Ethical Cities panel takes the global focus of the full day Living Cities conference and gives it a ‘hyperlocal’ twist to look at some of Melbourne’s biggest challenges, including rapid population growth, housing, densification/sprawl and congestion.

Moderated by Communications Collective director Genevieve Brannigan, the panel features:

<ul>
<li>Brighid Sammon - Senior Urban Planner at Hansen Partnership and 2017 national Young Planner of the Year;</li>
	<li>Claire Grealy, - Director, economics and social advisory, at Urbis;</li>
	<li>Kath Sundermann - Associate Director at MGS Architects; and</li>
	<li>Meaghan Dwyer - Principal at John Wardle Architects.</li>
</ul>
Each of the panellists brings a wealth of experience in placemaking and community building as well as a passion for positively shaping the future of our cities, they are well-placed to pick up the Living Cities Forum theme, ‘Shaping Society’.

Inverting the usual wisdom that political, economic and social forces shape our urban environments, the panel will consider how aiming for the best possible architecture and urban design could, in fact, influence these larger forces to create better, more sustainable communities, with happier, more involved citizens.

*Attendance is free but <a href="http://Highlights%20in%20the%20City%20of%20Melbourne%20include:">registration</a> is essential.

<h2>Melbourne Metro Tunnel Walking Tour </h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/mmetro.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="330" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mmetro.jpg?itok=V-1p9wfU" width="580"></a>

<figcaption> </figcaption></figure>When: Saturday 28 + Sunday 29 July 2018

Join the Metro Tunnel team on a walking tour along Swanston Street between the sites of the two new underground train stations in the CBD.

Put on your hard hat and zip up your high-visibility vest as you visit key locations including City Square, Franklin Street and A’Beckett Street where construction activities and archaeological investigations are well underway. See how this mega project is being constructed in a busy city while trams and pedestrians continue to move along Swanston Street.

Ahead of excavation works for the Metro Tunnel, archaeologists and heritage experts will use excavators, shovels and hand trowels to sift through layers of rock and soil to uncover archaeological remains and artefacts dating back 180 years and earlier. One of these archaeologists will join the walking tour to further explain this very special project.

<h2>The Australian Ugliness and New Technology at the Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne </h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/australian_ugliness.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/australian_ugliness.jpg?itok=I6szhhR8" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Eugenia Lim, The Australian Ugliness (2018). Image: Tom Ross</figcaption></figure>When: Saturday 28 + Sunday 29 July 2018 10am-4pm

The Melbourne School of Design located at The University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus – ns the state-of-the-art academic facility designed in collaboration by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA (Boston). The space will be open for self-guided tours, allowing the public to explore the intersection of interdisciplinary engagement and the exploration of environmental issues.

While on location at Melbourne School of Design, it’s worth visiting The Dulux Gallery, currently housing the keynote of this year’s Open House Melbourne July program, The Australian Ugliness exhibition by artist Eugenia Lim.

<h2>A New Offering in Melbourne’s Arts Precinct at Buxton Contemporary </h2>

When: Saturday 28 + Sunday 29 July 2018 10am-4pm

Buxton Contemporary is located within the Victorian College of the Arts in Southbank; the gallery is the philanthropic gift of the Michael Buxton collection to the University of Melbourne. The gesture of gifting the collection sees the public being privy to one of the most important contemporary art collections in Australia.

Guided exhibition tours lead by Buxton Contemporary staff will be taking place at 11am, and guided architectural tours by Fender Katalidis Architects will take place at 1pm both days.

<h2>Black Design Matters at the Koorie Heritage Trust</h2>

When: Saturday 28 + Sunday 29 July 2018 10am-5pm

The community-owned Indigenous gallery and cultural centre is located in the Yarra of Federation Square. The Koorie Heritage Trust celebrates the rich 60,000-year history of the Aboriginal people of South-eastern Australia, housing exhibitions and running cultural awareness and education programs.

During the Weekend, visitors will get a chance to visit their current exhibition Blak Design Matters, a national survey of Contemporary Indigenous Design curated by Jefa Greenaway.

<h2>RMIT New Academic Street</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/rmit_nas.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="RMIT New Academic Street - Photo: Justin Westwood"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rmit_nas.jpg?itok=TaEbcOIN" title="RMIT New Academic Street - Photo: Justin Westwood" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>RMIT New Academic Street - Photo: Justin Westwood</figcaption></figure>When: Saturday 28 10am-4pm

The New Academic Street project has recently transformed the heart of the RMIT University city campus, creating new facilities to deliver better services for students. The project has opened the campus to the surrounding Melbourne streetscape, creating light-filled laneways, glass-roofed arcades, rooftop urban spaces, outdoor terraces, light wells, and efficient walkways between floors.

Designed by multiple Victorian architecture firms – Lyons, MvS Architects, NMBW Architects, Harrison and White, and Maddison Architects – the New Academic Street project took out five awards at the 2018 Victorian Architecture Awards, including the coveted Melbourne Prize.
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Laurence Dragomir

Open House Melbourne 2018: Ethical Cities, Design-led thinking and City-making

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Late last month Urban.com.au, sat down and spoke to Tim Leslie Studio Director at Bates Smart and Founding Director of Open House Melbourne about this year's event which features a whopping 220 buildings - which you can listen to <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/guides/weekly-podcast-episode-20-bates-smart-studio-director-tim-leslie-discusses-open-house-2018">here</a>. 

One of the points Leslie touched on was the importance of volunteers and how his experiences in London and volunteering for their Open House program influenced him to establish Open House Melbourne.

With that in mind, and in the lead up to Open House Melbourne 2018, Urban.com.au will today focus on the volunteers who give up their time to ensure the event runs smoothly and visitors are guided and informed about Melbourne's built environment.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/ohm2018_volunteers_body.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Volunteers are crucial to the success of Open House Melbourne. Image: Nick Bebbington "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ohm2018_volunteers_body.jpg?itok=JoDMNVfh" title="Volunteers are crucial to the success of Open House Melbourne. Image: Nick Bebbington " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Volunteers are crucial to the success of Open House Melbourne. Image: Nick Bebbington</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Open House Melbourne is an organisation that relies on the long-term commitment of their volunteers. As a not-for-profit architecture organisation, with year-round events, they have a small core team, meaning it takes literally thousands of volunteers and contributions to bring this program together each year.

Since launching in 2008 it is estimated that Open House has been supported by more than 5226 volunteers, donating over 26,130 hours of their time.

The Open House Weekend is where volunteer involvement is at its peak, with around 800 volunteers turning out to assist building custodians to manage visitors and ensure the whole event runs smoothly for all. From students, to retirees, to whole families, the diversity of Open House volunteers is part of what makes the programs so special.

Their dedication to the program comes from a genuine desire to make a better city, and to introduce more and more people to their city each year. Very few free events attract the same level of volunteer participation, and it is very rare to retain longterm volunteers.

- Open House Melbourne
</blockquote>

Open House Melbourne's class of 2018 includes a tram enthusiast, a ten-year veteran volunteer, a father-daughter team and a Sydneysider who is travelling to Melbourne specifically for the event.

<h2>John Bateman + Stephanie Bateman</h2>

John and Stephanie are a father-daughter duo that have been volunteering together at the Open House Weekend for seven years.

<blockquote>
We both have a love for our city, a strong interest in both history and architecture, and it’s a great way to be involved in such a wonderful event on the calendar.

It’s quite fun to volunteer together, over the years we’ve had shifts at the same building, but even now that we’re in different roles, it’s great to get together at the end of our shifts and talk about our experiences. We both have busy lives, but it’s a nice thing that we have this one particular weekend every year that we put aside to do this together.

- Stephanie Bateman
</blockquote>

<h2>Linda Haw</h2>

Linda travels from Sydney specifically to attend and volunteer at the Open House Melbourne Weekend. Each year she and her friend get their nails painted to match the Open House colours.

<blockquote>
I love the Open House concept because it gives people an opportunity to get inside buildings, homes, substations, churches, offices, museums, to just name a few things, and meet the people who built them, work in them, and live in them ALL for free.

- Linda Haw
</blockquote>

<h2>Geoff Warburton</h2>

Geoff has a very specific interest in the Open House Melbourne Weekend. He worked at the tramway workshops for 28 years, was a committee member at Hawthorn Tram Museum for two years, and has compiled a detailed history of every Melbourne tram. Geoff is so committed to trams, his email address even includes his favourite tram-route number!

<blockquote>
My first year [of volunteering] was at a building in Malvern. After this I spoke to the area coordinator and suggested that with my experience, I would be better used at Hawthorn Tram Museum, this year will be my fourth year at this location.

- Geoff Warburton
</blockquote>

<h2>Jackline Jap</h2>

Jackline has been volunteering with Open House Melbourne since 2009, attending each year to provide support and impart a wealth of knowledge. Originally signing up as a way to see more buildings (and jumping to the front of the queues – a volunteer benefit!), she has since come to feel part of something larger.

<blockquote>
I love giving back to the community at large, encouraging people to explore our world and learn by starting in our own backyard.

- Jackline Jap
</blockquote>

Lead image credit: Nick Bebbington 
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OHM 2018

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