History of Open House Melbourne

2008

• Melbourne gets its first taste of Open House Melbourne – and likes what it sees. 
• Eight buildings open along Swanston Street with 31,000 visits. 

2009

• OHM grows with more open buildings and a richer program. The public comes out in greater force. Passion for the event builds.
• 32 buildings open along the Swanston/Collins streets axis, taking in Docklands and St Kilda Road. Some 52,000 visits are recorded.
• Year-on-year participation increases of nearly 70% and strong media interest with double the coverage.
• There is an overwhelming response to the inaugural OHM photography competition with almost 1600 photographs entered. Judging is conducted by leading Australian architectural photographers John Gollings and Dianna Snape.
• More than 250 volunteers (including 60 Melbourne City Council ‘Red Coat’ volunteers) help run the event on the day.
• The highly successful inaugural OHM architectural Speaker Series is held at BMW Edge, Federation Square, with 400 attendees and nine leading speakers.

2010

• To keep up with public demand, OHM transitions to a full weekend event, including over 55 buildings and an even more diverse program.
• The evolution of OHM continues with the introduction of a children’s program, online pre-ordering of the OHM program, an online booking system for smaller open spaces, the expansion of the Speaker Series to two evenings, a new Gardens In The Sky concept showcasing environmentally friendly green roofs and much more.
• 65,000 visits are recorded across the 2010 weekend.

2011

• 75 buildings are open over the weekend of July 30 and 31, 2011. 
• Over 600 volunteers participated in the event.
• 106,000 visits are recorded across the weekend.

2012 

• 100 Buildings
• Over 800 Volunteers
• A record 135,000 visits across the weekend