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, “Stories of the City”, encourages Victorians to consider the unique stories behind every building street and public space across Melbourne. By exploring the layers of urban life through stories of architecture, culture and community, the Open House Melbourne Weekend 2025 will foster a deeper appreciation of the relationship between people and place, lived experience and built form.
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, exhibitions and building tours at the Koorie Heritage Trust, a walking tour of the Greenline Project along the Birrarung, and a documentary screening or Media Preservation Lab tour at ACMI.
Explore the full program of events below.
26-27 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 invite visitors into the Media Preservation Lab for an exclusive opportunity to hear from ACMI’s conservators and engage with the collection and preservation activities.
Screenings: Discover local stories on screen with Moments in Time: Home Movies from the ACMI Collection and Loop (1973).
Open access: 10am-5pm Tours run: 10.15am, 11.15am, 12.15pm, 1.15pm, 2.15pm, 3.15pm & 4.15pm
Screenings: 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm & 4.30pm
26-27 July at 10am, 12pm & 1.30pm | Fed Square
This tour will provide participants with the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at Federation 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.
26 & 27 July at 10.30am | The Greenline Project Hub
Departing from the Greenline Project Hub at Federation Square, this 120-minute guided tour will be led by landscape architects and the City of Melbourne’s project team. Along the way, we will explore urban renewal, ecological restoration, and cultural heritage, illustrating how the Greenline Project is reshaping Melbourne’s waterfront while honouring the river as a living entity. University of Melbourne students from the School of Architecture, Building & Planning will also be hosting an exhibition from 10am to 4pm, showcasing their research of the north bank and interpretation of better-connected space.
Open access: 10am-4pm
Tours run: 10.30am
Saturday 26 July, various times | Koorie Heritage Trust
Come on a tour of the Birrarung Building with Fiona Lew, Associate, Lyons and a member of the KHT team to discover the cultural motifs, architectural considerations and award-winning moments of the expanded KHT. You will also be able to enjoy cultural artefacts from the KHT Collection, peek inside our Collection Store, view the Birrarung and tour our exhibitions.
Open access: 10am-5pm
Tours run: 10am, 11am & 12pm
27 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 2004 Gold Medal winner Greg Burgess followed by a Q&A with Burgess and Heritage Council Victoria Chair Professor Philip Goad.
For more information about Open House Melbourne Weekend throughout the Melbourne Arts Precinct visit: https://openhousemelbourne.org/itineraries/melbourne-arts-precinct