We wanted to thank everyone for making Brisbane Open House 2024 one of the most unforgettable yet!
From the buildings that opened their doors, to our team of dedicated volunteers, our generous and committed partners, all of our Sunday speakers and to you—our 2024 Brisbane Open House visitors! Together, we made this event a success.
Hub 1: Thomas Dixon Centre
Our hub at Thomas Dixon Centre came alive with guided building tours, Queensland Ballet Company class viewings, a Kurilpa Futures Historic walk starting in New Farm and ending in the West End, a conversation with Judy Watson, Jo Woolley & Danielle Renshaw telling the stories behind the Talbot Theatre’s carpet design, as well as a selection of John Paul College’s Chamber Ensembles presenting musical accompaniments throughout the building throughout the day.
Hub 2: Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane Powerhouse also saw a range of activities over the weekend including guided building tours of its fascinating history, It Takes A Village creative collage making, a children’s play area, an activation with Bluescope in their iconic COLOURBOND van and on Sunday, played host to the inaugural Brisbane Open House Speaker Series which featured architects, designers, planners and professionals in conversation, exploring what influences the shape, experiences and growth of our city and its buildings.
Walks and Tours
Brisbane Open House’s Board Chair (and former Queensland Government Architect), Malcolm Middleton hosted two tours delving behind the fascinating history and urban redevelopment of the Fish Lane Arts Precinct. For more information about the artworks found at Fish Lane, please see our Self-Guided Tour here and to discover more of our Brisbane Open House Guided Walking tours, please see here.
In New Farm, Gerard Benjamin, author of Reflections on New Farm and Homes with History, history columnist for Village Voice and New Farm & Districts Historical Society member, took participants on two tours discovering the incredible history of New Farm, our 2024 Village of Brisbane. Local historian and New Farm expert, Robert Allen introduced people to the wonderful history of the heritage-listed New Farm Cinemas. Over at Merthyr Village, a historical photographic exhibition of this key precinct was on display – you can read more about it here.
Other Locations
Over at the Port of Brisbane, over 1000 people made their way to discover Queensland’s premier multi-cargo port and a key economic gateway, along with the iconic Patrick Brisbane Autostrad terminal and the tug-boats that could at the Svitzer Tug Base. Across town at South Bank, ABC Brisbane opened its doors, letting visitors peek behind the scenes and unlock the secrets of television and radio production, including photo ops with Bananas in Pyjamas, having a go at presenting the TV News weather and meeting some of Queensland’s favourite presenters from around the country.
Architectural Practices
A number of Brisbane-based architectural practices also opened their doors. Visitors could visit a tropical treehouse in the City at BVN’s The Annex, a space nestled amid Brisbane’s iconic Eagle Street fig trees. Cox Architecture Studio provided guided tours of their delicate restoration and sensitive interpretation of the building known as Old Mineral House, originally built in 1888. Cox Architecture Director Richard Coulson and Brisbane City Council’s City and Place Manager Peter Leeds also talked visitors through the bridge design process for the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge.
Visitors could also explore nettletontribe’s Brisbane studio, a repurposed a 100+yr old brick merchants bulk store, refurbished to create a collaborative studio and provide a fresh way of thinking about how people engage in the workplace environment. The TVS Architects studio, located in a tenancy originally designed for use as a cafe, is a light and breezy space with a great Brisbane vibe with almost half the space being semi-outdoors. The studio were open through the weekend with some of their recent projects on view.
Workshops and Activations
Brisbane Open House also featured a range of exciting workshops and activations over the two days. At New Farm Library, the Love and Kindness Project spoke with visitors about contributing their memories of a special place in the area in order to create a Village Love Map; at Brisbane Powerhouse, It Takes A Village welcomed anyone who takes interest in collage making and enjoys getting creative and over at the Old Museum, Queensland Youth Orchestras invited visitors to rehearsals to see the young musicians and their conductors at work – and to even join in!
Bluescope
Our Platinum Partner BlueScope provided complimentary COLORBOND® steel colour consultations and information on BlueScope’s product range at Brisbane Powerhouse as part of our BOH weekend. There was also be a range of free activities available for kids of all ages to interact, colour and create some of Brisbane’s iconic landmarks and buildings with LEGO®. The team were also at Thomas Dixon Centre helping the Urban Sketchers to create their exhibition based on drawings and sketches made of Thomas Dixon Centre over the weekend. Read more about Bluescope here.
Check out more highlights from the incredible weekend here!