Overview

Open House Melbourne is a not-for-profit association that runs annual events providing the public a free and rare opportunity to discover a hidden wealth of architectural, engineering and historic buildings nestled around the city.

The inaugural OHM 2008 event saw eight buildings open and more than 30,000 visits across the day. Since then, the event has grown and by 2010 it featured 59 buildings, incorporating Docklands in addition to the CBD. In 2011, 75 buildings opened their doors to the public. 2012 saw the 5th Anniversary for Open House Melbourne as 100 buildings opened their doors, spanning 9 precincts. 

Open House Melbourne returns for 2013 with access to some of Melbourne's most interesting buildings, plus an interactive kids program and a stronger digital experience. 

Download the 2012 Open House Melbourne Report. 

Our Mission

The city is a continually evolving entity and we all have the ability to enhance the quality of our built environment through making informed decisions. Open House Melbourne assists by providing an avenue for the public to become informed and to engage with Melbourne.

We believe the city and its architecture is a museum of our culture, explaining our past, celebrating our present and offering insights into our future. OHM fosters civic pride, cooperation and social cohesion.

Open House Melbourne is committed to:

• Providing free, guided, public access to a range of significant Melbourne buildings and infrastructure

• Providing examples and promoting public awareness of good design and environmentally sustainable design through site visits and public forums

• Increasing engagement between Melburnians (and visitors) and their city by providing an event that educates and attracts national and international attention.

Open House Melbourne provides an opportunity for direct engagement with key elements of this great city – from globally significant buildings to roof top gardens and subterranean infrastructure – that reflect Melbourne's fascinating past and its rapid civic, commercial and industrial development. 

Our well-informed volunteers discuss the significance of these buildings within a Melbourne context and contribute to visitors' experience of both the buildings and the city.

Open House Melbourne also provides complementary public talks on seminal buildings by their designers. These architects discuss the design process that has lead to the built forms we experience today. This popular Speaker Series gives the public a valuable insight into the design process and a greater ability to critique both buildings and the city within an architectural context.

The architecture of our city is a reflection of our culture. The buildings that we build today, and those that we protect, will form our future heritage and will define the Melbourne of tomorrow.