20th July 2021 / Prue Fletcher: 23 - 27 July | Open House Melbourne Goes Virtual

Photo Credit: Luke David Photography

Reconnect: Open House Melbourne 2021 is a program of virtual tours, talks, films and events designed to inspire and provoke discussion around the future of our city and our suburbs – now fully online and available to everyone from Friday 23 – Tuesday 27 July.

The city's 14th annual open weekend that lets Melburnians into the homes, offices and businesses usually kept behind closed doors is going virtual. After more than a year of absence, you will be treated to parts of our city that are rarely seen. In a huge effort to quickly transition this large-scale event online, this weekend's event aims to reconnect us with parts of our city and reconsider the way we will occupy our space moving forward. It calls on us to envisage new ways of designing and adapting our buildings and infrastructure as we emerge from the impact of the COVID era.

Open House Melbourne aims to bring together online experiences of spaces and buildings from across the City of Melbourne, including our much loved and adored City of Boroondara & Stonnington. The event will open on Friday 23 July with This Is Public – a live streamed 'speaker series' event exploring new potentials for the future of our city.

"This year's theme of 'reconnect' speaks to our collective desire to reconnect with our city and our suburbs and reimagine our future together with fresh eyes and open minds as we continue to experience lockdown and isolation. As our community grapples with what might constitute a 'new normal' post-pandemic, it is clear we must find new ways to reconnect and envisage transformative ways to live and work better together"

- Fleur Watson, Executive Director & Chief Curator

You will be one of the first to get a look inside our newly built Victoria Pride Centre, Australia's first purpose-built LGBTQIA+ community hub, a brand-new innovation centre combining art and science, an online talk about the role of design in shaping society, and more

30 Yarra Street Hawthorn, Tay Creggan now Strathcona Yr 9 Campus

In a virtual unveiling, you will get a front row seat at The University of Melbourne brand-new innovation precinct on the former site of the Royal Women's Hospital, home to researchers, startups and the students who form the future of our art & science programs.

Kickstarting the open weekend, a program of talks by Living Cities Forum will launch the program on Thursday July 22.

This Is Public at RMIT's Capitol theatre will feature short online presentations by architects, designers and creatives, all asking us to take a closer look at how we occupy space in the city and alternative ways of adapting our buildings for the future.

Finally, it wouldn't be a tour of Melbourne without the return of our old favourites and you can rest assured that there will be virtual tours through Collins Arch, State Library Victoria, Melbourne Quarter's Sky Park and Collingwood Yards. Plus, a suite of digital tours and talks accessible from your couch or anywhere in the world!

There is so much to explore online!

CLICK HERE to view the 2021 OHM full program.