Inaugural Open House Hobart
Hobart has long been renowned for the charm of its historic buildings and streetscapes. For many locals, these buildings have always been part of the scenery as they go about their daily business.
Last weekend, though, members of the public got a rare opportunity to see some of these iconic buildings through new eyes, as they took a sneak peek at the hidden wealth of architectural, engineering and historic buildings in Tasmania’s capital. As part of Hobart Architecture Week, the Australian Institute of Architects joined the Open House Worldwide network, to bring the concept to Hobart, with the inaugural Open House Hobart held on Saturday 23 November.
The not-for-profit event gave locals the chance to become a tourist in their own city, with free access to a wealth of significant buildings, as diverse as the historic, convict-built Gunpowder Magazine on The Domain; such 20th Century treasures as the State Library building on the corner of Murray Street and Bathurst Street, and the Dorney House on Porter Hill; along with more recent additions including the designer pad in the sky, the Avalon City Retreat (Omnipod) in Macquarie Street and the recently completed Meeting Room in the 19th-Century-built St Mary’s Cathedral.
Open House Hobart was a mini version of the worldwide event that was founded in London in 1992 by Victoria Thornton. Frustrated by the barriers between the architecture profession and the general public, Ms Thornton set out to make public buildings accessible to all, to help foster a better understanding of architecture and the built environment outside of the profession. The event has now taken off around the world, with Open House initiatives as far and wide as New York, Helsinki, Jerusalem, Melbourne and Buenos Aires.
In bringing Open House to Hobart in 2013, the Institute of Architects took the same view as Ms Thornton, inviting people to explore and understand the value of a well-designed built environment. Opening up buildings from a broad range of types, styles and periods gives the community the chance to discover Hobart’s fascinating past and its civic, commercial and industrial development. It’s this type of discovery that helps the community understand the value of architecture in society, and the important role it has to play, not only today but for future generations.
While the weather wasn’t what we had hoped for, it didn’t keep the crowds away – hundreds of people lined up at 10 locations throughout the city to explore and engage with some of Hobart’s architectural delights. For those who ventured out into the rain and inside these intriguing buildings, the effort was well worthwhile, with many expressing the hope that Open House Hobart will become an annual event. Some are even making plans to travel from interstate if it is held again.
We take great heart from the success of this inaugural event and hope to build on this momentum and be involved in an even bigger and better Open House Hobart in 2014. So keep an eye out.
Anyone interested in learning more about Open House Hobart, please check out our Facebook
Open House Hobart was made possible by the sponsorship of the Hobart City Council, VOS Construction and Joinery, Dulux and our design partner Futago.