Open House Melbourne Weekend at Fed Square
Open House Melbourne Weekend is Australia’s largest architecture and built environment festival, celebrating the importance of good design in shaping our communities.
The Weekend program celebrates good design by opening buildings, places and spaces, inspiring public engagement in conversations about the future of our city. This year’s theme, “Generous City”, explores how design, creativity and architecture can foster a culture of openness, offering space, care and possibility to the people who live, work and play here.
Visit Fed Square for this Open House Melbourne Weekend and uncover the stories within its rich ecology of art, design, culture, and creativity.
Sign up for a behind-the-scenes tour of Fed Square, a design talk with First Nations leaders, an open studio at MESS, exhibitions and building tours at the Koorie Heritage Trust, and a documentary screening or Media Preservation Lab tour at ACMI.
Explore the full program of events below.
Wed 22 July, 6pm | The Edge
How can design reveal and strengthen our connections to Country? Bringing together leading voices in First Nations knowledge, architecture and urban design, this conversation will explore how pathways, trails and infrastructure can act as living cultural lines, and how design can meaningfully support deeper, ongoing connections with Country.
25–26 July, various times | ACMI
Tours: Get behind-the-scenes access to the Blackmagic Design Media Preservation Lab and learn about ACMI’s collection. The tour will give visitors an exclusive opportunity to hear from ACMI’s conservators and engage with the collection and preservation activities.
Screenings: Discover local stories on screen with The Melbourne Concert Hall (1982) and Design for climate (1967).
Tours run: 10.15am, 11.15am, 12.15pm, 1.15pm, 2.15pm
Screenings: 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm + 4.30pm
25–26 July, at 10am, 11.30am + 1.30pm | Fed Square
This tour will provide participants with the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at Fed Square, with exclusive access to the hidden network of tunnels and labyrinth maze underneath the Square. Along the way, participants will learn all about the history of Fed Square’s unique architecture and design features.
24–26 July, various times | Koorie Heritage Trust
Explore KHT’s award-winning interior, find out about the design meaning, view their exhibitions and peek into the vast collection of cultural objects.
Join one of KHT’s experienced First Peoples guides to explore the Birrarung building, collection and exhibitions. Exhibitions running will be paintings by Uncle Ray Thomas, and an immersive audio visual installation occupation studies: ngayanhurra bayarral Birrarung (they tried to tame Birrarung) by Tahlia Palmer & Jasper Cohen-Hunter.
Open access: 10am–5pm
Tours run: Friday + Saturday at 11am, 12pm + 1pm
25–26 July, various times | MESS
In August 2025, MESS moved from a decommissioned freezer at the end of a laneway into the Atrium at Fed Square. In its new home, MESS has made an ambitious step into the heart of this city’s cultural conversation, and they’re now throwing the doors open for an open studio! Enjoy this special chance to access to the MESS studio, ordinarily available only to members. Facilitated by MESS studio staff, hear the stories behind the collection and explore a creative space of social connection and artistic excellence. Selected instruments will be available to play.
Visitors on Sunday can hear Director of Sibling Architecture Amelia Borg discussing both the design process and how the project reimagines the space as a place for exhibition, making, work and gathering.
Talk: 11am–12pm, Sunday
Open studio: 10am–3pm, Saturday + Sunday
Sun 26 July at 3.30pm | ACMI
Modern Melbourne is a series that documents the extraordinary practice of our most important architects and designers and looks at their lasting impact on Melbourne.
Join us in the cinema for the premiere screening of this year’s Modern Melbourne, featuring John Denton, one of Australia’s most influential architects, followed by a Q&A with Denton and Heritage Council Victoria Chair Professor Philip Goad.
For more information about Open House Melbourne Weekend visit: https://openhousemelbourne.org/