Melbourne Open House (MOH) 2009, as part of the State of Design festival, is opening the doors of some of its oldest and finest buildings for everyone to appreciate.

MOH kicked off on June 14 when Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and MOH Patron Roger Poole launched the event at the old boardroom at the former National Australia Bank building. The main event is set to take place on July 19.

Some of the significant buildings that will be on display include Melbourne Town Hall, Storey Hall, Federation Square, Queens Hall in the State Library of Victoria, Radiation Therapy Bunkers and research laboratories at the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre and The Gauge, Docklands.

Spokesperson for MOH, Robert Larocca, encourages people to plan their day before attending the event due to the increase of buildings on display. Last year MOH had 30 000 visitors with only 8 buildings. This year there are over 30 buildings and more visitors are expected.

“People can gain an appreciation for Melbourne architecture,” Larocca says. “Most people who see the buildings come into the city on business and they don’t get a chance to really look at them. This will be an opportunity for people to take the time out to look at the architecture.” 

MOH is also hosting a Speaker Series on June 30, with 9 of Melbourne’s most prominent design professionals discussing their work. Speakers include Chris Anderson, Roger Paul and James Legge.

For those who take photos at the MOH main event on July 19, there’s an opportunity to enter them in a competition that will judged by celebrated architectural photographers John Grollings and Dianne Snape based on creativity, quality and significance to the Open House theme.

More information and an entry form is available on the MOH website.

melbourneopenhouse.org