An airy home inspired by the Buddhist retreats of Kyoto and a 2017 renovation of a minimalist London flat built in 1936 are among the buildings you can explore as part of this year's Open House Melbourne Weekend.

Each year, Open House Melbourne makes iconic architecture throughout the city accessible to the public. This year represents the tenth birthday of the organisation, and to celebrate, they've almost doubled their building list. 80 new buildings have been added to the comprehensive tour program for the upcoming Open House Melbourne Weekend in July. This makes a total of 200 buildings to explore this year, across a larger footprint than ever before.

While in previous years Open House has centred around buildings in Melbourne CBD, this year they have broadened their geographic footprint to include outlying areas as far as Frankston. Some of the new suburbs to be included this year are Beaumaris, Bangholme, Brighton, Dandenong, Essendon, La Trobe, Mill Park and Ringwood. The Bayside City Council building in Brighton, with its Guggenheim-inspired façade design, is set to be a particular highlight of this expanded program.

The Open House Melbourne Weekend covers a huge range of building types, from commercial to residential to education. A particular highlight is usually the residential program – this year comprising 17 properties – as architect-designed homes are rarely seen by anyone outside of the people who live in them. Some of the stand-out residential properties in this year’s program include Kiah House, Cairo Studio and Light Corridor House.

Kiah House is designed by Austin Maynard Architects and inspired by the Buddhist retreats of Kyoto. Offering a quiet sanctuary within the urban context of Melbourne, Kiah House has been dramatically transformed from its once-rundown weatherboard cottage structure into a neat, high-performing, sustainable home that maximises natural light and air.

Originally built in 1936, Cairo Studio represents the celebrated Australian architect Best Overend’s interpretation of a classic, minimalist London flat. The 2017 renovation transformed the Cairo Studio into a petite and modern apartment structure.

The Open House Melbourne Weekend will be held on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July 2017. Bookings for buildings that offer pre-booked spaces open on Monday 17 July.

Architecture & Design Team

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