Open House Hobart is back for 2020

Tasmania’s most popular architecture and design event, Open House Hobart (OHH), launches the program for the weekend of November 14 and 15, 2020.

Open House Hobart will be launching its eighth program through a livestreamed event from the Dorney House at Fort Nelson, on Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm.

The launch will feature a musical performance by Tasmanian indie folk pop act, Runaway Belles, and Tasmanian harpist, Emily Sanzaro, before the Open House Hobart website goes live for bookings at 7pm.

This year, Open House Hobart will take place as both a virtual and face-to-face event, with all buildings requiring bookings.

“We have been working closely with the City of Hobart to provide a COVID-19-safe event that adheres to the government’s guidelines, but one which will allow Tasmanians to experience and learn about the value of architecture and our built environment,” says Open House Hobart producer, Jennifer Nichols.

“A limited number of pre-booked tours will be available, and these will be in small groups and we will ask people to remain physically distanced. We want to keep our community safe, and for those who don’t feel comfortable to be there in person, we will be running a number of virtual tours across the weekend, along with events either side of this. This will also allow people from across the world the opportunity to tune in a see a little bit of Hobart and its surrounds.”

Some old favourites, including the Dorney House at Fort Nelson, by Esmond Dorney, the Supreme Court of Tasmania, by Peter Partridge, and the Anglesea Barracks, feature in the program, and are joined by a range of new buildings. Among the highlights this year are the Signalman’s Quarters in Battery Point, by 1+2 Architecture; Dock on the Bay, a mid-century building in Berridale by Ray Heffernan; and Mariners Cottages – believed to be the oldest remaining buildings on the site of the ship building yards in Napoleon Street in Battery Point.

The program also invites you to take a Sunday drive, and includes buildings outside of Hobart, with several buildings in Richmond holding tours on Sunday 14 November; Bozen’s Cottage, by Taylor & Hinds Architects, in Oatlands holding physical and virtual tours; and Symmons Plains, by Cumulus Studio, opening virtually!

The full list of buildings is below and will be available at 7 pm on Tuesday 20 October on the Open House Hobart website.

This year, all buildings will require bookings, and there are a limited number of tickets. Open House Hobart encourages participants to be mindful of others when reserving tickets. Virtual tours will be broadcast via Zoom, and information will be sent to attendees once they book their tickets. Bookings can be made at openhousehobart.org.

Organised and run by the Tasmanian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects, OHH is the local version of a global event first held in London in 1992 and now staged in more than 40 cities around the world. It gives visitors the chance to see how others live, work and play; look up, look inside, have a sticky-beak, and see the city from a different angle, and it’s free.

Open House Hobart is generously supported by the City of Hobart, the Tasmanian Government, Futago, Access Solutions, Brickworks and Lysaght.

2020 Open House Hobart virtual launch

Tuesday 20 October 2020, from 6:30 pm

Livestream via Facebook: facebook.com/events/649086782638231

Tickets go live Tuesday 20 October at 7pm at openhousehobart.org