Open House

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/63717/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
The architecture profession perennially chides itself for being a poor advocate of the value of good design. The phenomenal rise of the Open House movement demonstrates how a simple concept – celebrating exemplary buildings by opening them free to the general public for one weekend a year – has become a successful format for such advocacy, combining entertainment and education.
Since the first Open House weekend – held in London in 1992 when 20 buildings opened their doors to the public – the Open House movement has expanded to over 30 affiliated cities world-wide. There were more than 375,000 building visits at London Open House in 2015. In Australia, Open House events now run in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Adelaide – with Brisbane’s on this weekend.
Though its promotional material borrows from the jargon of the real-estate industry, the Open House mission is more noble: to cultivate a knowledgeable audience for architecture and involve people in the decisions that are made about the built environment. 
The Open House format is also not entirely new. It combines aspects of the logic of the Grand Tour with its education in taste; the public institution Open Day popularised in the 20th century; and the voyeuristic pleasure and insights into everyday life provided by historic house museums.
In cities like London and New York, it is easy to explain the popularity of such an event in terms of simple tourist numbers. However, its success in other locations highlights the way it has tapped into local and repeat audiences. In my home city of Brisbane, there has been more than a five-fold increase in building visits in five years, with over 66,000 in 2015. A number of these are repeat visitors.
In most Open House programs, buildings of recognised historical value sit alongside the latest in high quality contemporary design. One of the most popular buildings at Open House London recently was Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners’ newly completed Leadenhall Building, affectionately known as the cheesegrater for its raked form. However the most popular building was George Gilbert Scott’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Building of 1868.
Interestingly, Brisbane’s own “cheesegrater” – the ABC Centre by Richard Kirk – has been a consistently popular building each year since its inclusion in the program.
Open House also showcases the latest in sustainable design and innovative development. In 2015, Common Ground, a supportive inner-city housing initiative, and Green Square Affordable Apartments were opened in Brisbane. In Melbourne, you could see how a 75m2 Flinders Lane apartment was renovated for a family by Claire Cousins.
One of the most sought-after Open House experiences is gaining access to private houses. These are often the most difficult to get into and are still considered the jewels in the crown of the architectural profession. And just as Grand Designs has been such a success in bringing architectural content to a TV audience, it satisfies an aspirational desire to see beautiful domestic settings and how other people live. 
However this impulse is not always gratified by prestigious homes. In 2013, I visited the the Jacobi House, the Eisenmenger House, and the Chater Street Residence in suburban Brisbane. They were startling for their respective modesty in size and conception. They had all been lovingly renovated by their mid-century enthusiast owners who guided visitors through their homes as amateur experts.
The following year, inspired by this experience, I opened my own apartment in Brisbane’s Torbreck, an iconic high-rise building designed by Aubrey Job and Robert Froud and built in 1959-61. 
Like the owners of the houses, I felt compelled to showcase Torbreck’s design to a larger audience. Overwhelmingly visitors were curious to see the interiors of this otherwise inaccessible but visually prominent suburban landmark. It was delightful to witness their surprise and enchantment at the clever apartment layouts, the light-filled spaces, and the playful use of materials and colours.
One of the parallel events at Brisbane Open House that typifies the form of soft advocacy it does so well, is the Man About the House stand-up comedy and music show performed by Tim Ross and Kit Warhurst.
In this show, performed for intimate audiences in architecturally significant homes, Ross weaves stories of growing up in suburban Australia; being curious about design and buying and restoring a mid-century home in Sydney, with discussions of the architecture of the host venue. Since 2013 Ross and Warhurst have toured this show as far as London and Palm Springs. 
Ross is a self-made expert, sanctioned by the profession (he was MC at the opening of the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale). He is also an everyman, and performs a journey of personal cultivation in a way that demonstrates the importance and value of architecture to society. 
In Ross’s most recent project Streets of Your Town, a two-part TV series that will air on the ABC next month, he takes this model to a larger audience – seeking out exemplary domestic architecture in our suburbs to reveal its quality and beauty. 
There is a larger question at stake for Ross: he wants to discover how in Australia we lost sight of an ambition for quality architecture for all - an ethos that underpinned much mid-century design - and where our suburbs are heading as a result. The series combines documentary footage, interviews with experts and residents, and Ross’s informal and humorous commentary to take the viewer on a journey of self-realisation.
A robust architectural culture needs interlocutors and the typical Open House program has grown to include parallel events including lectures, films, debates, and children’s programs.
<div class="enlarge_hint">In 2016, Melbourne Open House had a special program of lectures and films on brutalist buildings, a generally unloved form of late modernist architecture that is enjoying a new popularity at a time when many such buildings are being demolished. Brisbane and London Open House have a focus on opening offices of architecture practices to demystify the processes of architectural design.</div>
It is difficult to quantify the real success of an event such as Open House in raising the expectations of the general public for a high quality built environment – and how this might translate into tangible outcomes, such as more heritage listings, or better suburbs. Still, Victoria Thornton, the founding director of Open City and London Open House, is now undertaking an impact study that will endeavour to do just this.
However, the Open House movement demonstrates a softer form of advocacy in bringing conversations about architecture to a larger and more diverse audience.
While it does not take the place of a robust critical culture or the more direct political lobbying that professional architectural and built environment bodies undertake, it has a simple but important value in offering direct experience of buildings and a festive expansion of architectural culture.
Susan Holden is lecturer in Architecture, The University of Queensland and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/susan-holden-291421" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Opening doors and minds: the Open House phenomenon

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NSW Kids in Need - which assists six smaller charities - holds its first major fundraiser this weekend on Saturday May 30.
It is billed as the World's Largest Open House.
Sydney offices - normally restricted to staff - will be open including office space within Deutsche Bank Place, Australia Square, Grosvenor Place, Farrar Place, 50 Martin Place and Citigroup Tower.
Of course 50 Martin Place which was constructed in 1927, underwent an impressive development between 2012 and 2014, and reopened as Macquarie Group’s global headquarters in 2014.  
Macquarie and their team of architects and builders were awarded a 6-star Green Star Rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.
There will be a special presentation by Paul van Ratingen - Lead Architect at Johnson Pilton Walker at 11.30am on Saturday, though seats are limited.
It was formerly the Commonwealth Bank building, and the sometime model for its money boxes issued by the bank.
The CBD access tickets are $10. 
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<div><img src="/images/2015/05/27/Screen%20Shot%202015-05-27%20at%209.55.22%20AM.png" alt=""></div>
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<div>NSW Kids in Need Foundation Limited fundraises for six kid’s charities (Bear Cottage Children’s Hospice, Central Coast Kids In Need, Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award - Australia, Muscular Dystrophy NSW, SHINE For Kids, The Burns Unit at the Children's Hospital at Westmead) to make a real difference in the lives of children. </div>
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<div>Entry is via pre-paid ticket which can be <a href="https://nswkidsinneed.org.au/events/venue/50-martin-place/" target="_blank">purchased online here</a>. </div>
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Sydney CBD office open day - for NSW Kids in Need charity

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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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In the lead up to the Designing for Life panel discussion being held Wednesday 18 July, the expert panellists provide insight into the question -  how do we create apartments that will stand the test of time and nurture those who live within them?

Some of the country’s leading architects and developers will come together to address this issue and the effect of regulated design standards, during the panel discussion presented by Communications Collective, in partnership with Open House.

Architects Karen Alcock, Principal of MAArchitects, and Kerstin Thompson, principal of Kerstin Thompson Architects, will be joined by developers Kyle Reeve, development manager of ICON Developments, and Mike McCormack, co-director of Milieu to discuss key topics around design, from quality to supply and longevity.

Australia recognises the need to evolve towards lifelong apartment living to address problems of urban sprawl and population growth, and to create affordable and cohesive communities that provide for meaningful social interaction.

One important change in the market that the panellists recognise is the shift towards a more owner-occupier driven market. In response to these changing needs, the industry is creating spaces with a core focus on livability and longevity, according to Karen Alcock.

Kerstin Thompson points out that the design of every individual residential project has wider implications for the cities we are creating, and that providing diversity in the form of different housing typologies is one critical aspect.

Kyle Reeve believes flexibility over a lifetime could be built into developments, and is something which Australia might benefit from by looking at the United States and Europe’s approach to apartment ownership.

Mike McCormack, who is currently working on Breese Street, Brunswick with DKO and Breathe Architecture – believes good quality design can be achieved while still delivering on affordability.

There is general consensus among the panellists that both developers and architects working together to prioritise high quality design outcomes is beginning to become more common in response to market demand.

<h2>What they say</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/karen_alcock_maa.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="374" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/karen_alcock_maa.jpg?itok=7nysV3IH" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Karen Alcock</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
We need to see apartments as long-term housing solutions, not just a commodity to be bought and sold.

We are also in a period of incredible growth and I think that the public are increasingly educated and understandably critical of the design that they purchase.

You can’t get away from the investment aspect of any house purchase; we focus on good design which we believe equals a good investment.

- Karen Alcock, Principal MAArchitects
</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/kt_portrait.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Kerstin Thompson"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="541" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/kt_portrait.jpg?itok=ePSZ3NUP" title="Kerstin Thompson" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Kerstin Thompson</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
 Arguably, the aspect of residential buildings that is most instrumental in determining quality, both within and beyond the individual dwelling, is the building shell and in particular its typology. 

Developing or choosing a typology orchestrates the nature of the relationship between public, private and common space, between one household and the next. In designing for domestic bliss we are also inevitably forming the civic realm.

We need to provide for a greater range and invention among new housing types, to accommodate a greater range of demographics – not only young professionals but also families and the elderly – and support this mix with complementary programming and community infrastructure such as schools, meeting areas, co-working spaces and the like.

- Kerstin Thompson, Founder and Principal KTA
</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/kyle_reeve_icon_jpg.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Kyle Reeve"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="524" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/kyle_reeve_icon_jpg.jpg?itok=kSkdi0VM" title="Kyle Reeve" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Kyle Reeve</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Historically, multi-residential developments have been about yield, costs and projects have been delivered simply to produce investment products not homes for people.

I think one of the most exciting trends right now is developers taking a more holistic view and considering who the occupant actually is. Intensive consultation and a greater emphasis on owner-occupiers are key trends here.

Your stages of life change so significantly that a single apartment might not be able to provide everything you need but you can have a well-designed building that does. It’s not uncommon in the United States for a person to move from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom and then, later in life, downsize to a one-bedroom – all in the same development.

People often say design is driven by architects, and I totally agree, however the decision-making authority ultimately sits with developers.

To create a strong partnership, the developer must really appreciate the architecture and the architect should understand the commercial constraints to ensure a great design outcome is achieved.

- Kyle Reeve, Development Manager of ICON Developments
</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/mikey_portrait_crop.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Mike McCormack"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="560" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mikey_portrait_crop.jpg?itok=oAI68TJk" title="Mike McCormack" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Mike McCormack</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
At the commencement of the design process we consider purchasers, who they will be and what they are likely to require and desire in their home. Our decisions are informed by our own experiences and also through detailed buyer engagement and feedback.

We invest in quality materials - inside and out - and finishes and fixtures that will last. This means our properties will wear in rather than wear out, and in turn hold their value and appreciate over time. We have experienced this through the few re-sale results of Milieu homes. 
We are facilitating, encouraging and responding to consultation from an ever better informed market. For example, on our Breese Street project, through our design survey, buyers told us they didn’t necessarily need air conditioning as standard.

Therefore, instead we have adopted hydronic heating and ceiling fans as standard and offered AC as an option.

Listening to what purchasers desire allows us to focus on delivering homes that meets their needs now and into the future.

- Mike McCormack, Co-Director at Milieu
</blockquote>
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