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Melbourne is having its 5th Open House next weekend, which is the 28th and 29th of July. During the Open House interesting buildings around the city are opened up for the public to come and view - this year there are 100. If you are interested in coming with me, read on for more information.

The one sad thing about the Open House is that although 100 buildings are open, there is no way you can visit them all in the time available (they are mostly open between 10 and 4 on both days, with some exceptions). You can probably visit 3 - 6 buildings a day, and visiting the buildings you are most excited about first is a good idea.

My initial shortlist was 28 buildings, and I have whittled it down to 17. I will need to get it to 4 - 10 (although I probably won't be able to do all 10.)
If I have linked you to this post, please provide your input on the buildings suggested. (B, I have added all the underground buildings I could find, and also the Peter Mac buildings you were telling me about, but let me know if I've missed something.)
Here is a map of all the buildings on my shortlist. Unfortunately it is somewhat spread out.
EDIT: I have updated both the map and the list below. Stuck out buildings have been culled, starred buildings have made the cut, the rest are still under consideration.

I am planning to go both days, although I will miss the end of Sunday because I have a Melbourne Ice game at 3.30. Feel free to join me for either day (or to watch the ice hockey match).

EDIT AGAIN: UPDATED FOR DAY 2

Here is the list of buildings:
Russell Place Substation
*JA Substation (or the Russell Place one)
Royal Melbourne Hospital tunnels and towers
Peter Mac Radiation Therapy Bunkers
Peter Mac Cancer Research Laboratories
*Little black number (private house)
*Royal Children's Hospital
Hive graffiti apartments
DesignInc (architects' offices)

State Library of Victoria
Bastow institute of educational leadership
University of Melbourne - Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology
University of Melbourne - Melbourne Brain Centre
Tasma Terrace
Hamer Hall
Malthouse Theatre
Convesso concavo


What: Hamer Hall
Where: 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
When: 10 - 4pm both days
Time waiting: No queues expected. Optional tours.
Description: Explore the redeveloped public areas of the building and join guided tours that will highlight artworks and points of interest. Roving performers will appear across the weekend and rehearsals for community groups in the St Kilda road foyer.
Pros: I went and saw this last year and it would be nice to see the finished product this year. No queues and easy to get to.
Cons: Can go see the public spaces at any time.

What: Malthouse Theatre
Where: 113 Sturt Street, Southbank
When: 10-4pm Sunday only
Time waiting: No queues expected. Tours will run every 20 minutes, 20 people per tour
Description: Take a tour to see the Merlyn Theatre, the Beckett Theatre and the Tower Theatre as well as two rehearsal spaces. The tour will feature special insights into the heritage of the site as a malthouse as well as its current function as a contemporary theatre including its scenic workshop, props store, wardrobe and administration.
Pros: Interesting to see the props store and wardrobe.
Cons: Travel time to get there.

What: University of Melbourne - Melbourne Brain Centre
Where: 30 Royal Parade (cnr Genetics Lane), Parkville
When: 10 - 4pm each day
Time waiting: Queues expected. 15 people every 20 minutes. Last tour at 3.40pm.
Description: Join a tour of the Melbourne Brain Centre and take the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes where cutting edge neuroscience research takes place. Visitors are welcome to explore the Dax Centre, home of the Cunningham Dax Collection. The gallery comprises creative works by people with mental illness and/or emotional trauma. Younger visitors might like to observe cool demonstrations of a strawberry DNA extraction in the foyer lab.
Pros: Interesting tour. [personal profile] why_am_i works there (not sure if she will actually be there or not...).
Cons: Queues. Not architecturally themed.

What: Russell Place Substation
Where: Russell Place (between Lt Collins St and Bourke St), CBD
When: 10 - 4pm each day
Time waiting: Queues expected, entry by tour: tours every 30 minutes for 40 people
Description: Go underground to see one of Melbourne's oldest substations at work. What's open: Substation, including transformer transfer corridor, DC room, switchrooms, transformer compartments and LV compartment.
Pros: B wants to see it, sounds interesting; more central than JA Substation
Cons: Queues; I only want to visit one underground thing and visit other types of buildings for the rest of the day

* What: JA Substation
Where: 640 Little Bourke Street (near Spencer Street), Melbourne CBD
When: 10 - 4pm each day
Time waiting: Queues expected. Three concurrent 45 minute tours departing every 20 minutes.
Description: Once fitted out with protective safety gear, visitors enter the substation from the car park off Little Bourke Street. The tour provides an opportunity to view equipment on each of the levels including the 66kV switchroom, 66kV cable terminations, control rooms, 11kV switchrooms, 66kV/11kV transformer room and finally the cable basement. Many of the auxiliary systems and equipment can be viewed, including capacitor banks and fire control equipment.
Pros: Sounds interesting, B wants to see it.
Cons: Queues; tour time is on the longer side; less central (depending on other buildings visited)

What: Peter Mac Radiation Therapy Bunkers
Where: St Andrews Place, East Melbourne
When: 10 - 4 Sunday only
Time waiting: Get in early to grab a ticket for a tour that runs every 30 minutes, 15 people per tour. Last tours commence at 3.30pm.
Description: Groups will be escorted into the Radiation Therapy Department and given a brief overview of the wonderful work the team undertakes at Peter Mac Callum Cancer Centre. See inside a radiation therapy bunker and hear about the treatment procedure using the linear accelerator.
Pros: B heard an interview about them and said they sounded good; tour information sounds interesting. Ties in with research labs (see building summary below).
Cons: Queues sound particularly bad, meaning potentially less chance to do other buildings. If tour ticket time is long enough, may be able to tour the cancer research labs while waiting. No guarantees. Only open Sunday.

What: Peter Mac cancer research laboratories
Where: St Andrews Place, East Melbourne
When: 10 - 4pm Sunday only
Time waiting: Queues expected. Tours only. Every 30 minutes, 15 people per tour. Last tours commence at 3.30pm.
Description: Observe demonstrations of biomedical laboratory activities and learn about some of the technical advances that support Peter Mac’s researchers in the fight against cancer.
Pros: Interesting to see labs; may be able to do while waiting for bunker tour?
Cons: Quite a lot of talk not about buildings; queues.

What: Royal Melbourne Hospital tunnels and towers
Where: Grattan Street, Parkville
When: 10 - 4pm both days
Time waiting: Queues likely. Separate queues for tunnels and towers. Level 9 visits: 15 people every 15 minutes. Tunnels tours: 20 people every 15 minutes
Description: Join a tour into the tunnels and hear stories about their history and what goes on behind the scenes to keep the hospital operating smoothly.
From the Level 9 secure viewing area you can enjoy unique views of the Melbourne skyline, rooftop helipad, Bolte and Westgate bridges. This spectacular view will disappear when the 14 storey Cancer Centre is built.
Pros: The tunnels sound interesting.
Cons: Queues. Would not visit rooftop unless no queue, because other things sound more interesting.


What: Tasma Terrace
Where: 2 - 12 Parliament Place, East Melbourne
When: 10 - 4pm both days
Time waiting: Queues expected. Two self guided tours.
Description: Two self guided tours of the historical and architectural features of the Terrace and a Murder Tour will be available to visitors. The ground level shop, gallery, conservatory, restored sitting and dining rooms will be open. An exhibition `Loved and Lost – The Battle for Melbourne” will be on display in the Tasma Conservatory. This fascinating exhibition about the battles to save buildings in the CBD from the 1950s until today documents Melbourne as it was at various stages, what was lost, what was won and how we got to where we are now. A photographic exhibition of Melbourne’s sewers by Christian Pearson, “Melbourne Underground” will be on display in the Tasma Gallery. These works examine the world of our hidden, underground network of tunnels and chambers.
Pros: Chance to see interesting photos and an Victorian architecture.
Cons: Seeing photos rather than real buildings might be a bit dry. Queues.


What: Convesso concavo
Where: Waterside Place, Victoria Harbour, Docklands
When: 10 - 4pm Sunday
Time waiting: Tours Leave from The Gauge, 825 Bourke Street 20 people per tour, every 30 minutes
Description: Visitors will be given a tour of two different styled apartments. The luxurious amenities will also be shown which includes a pool, gym and spa area.
Pros: Interesting to look around houses/apartments; handy for going to the Ice game afterwards
Cons: Probably more of a chance for them to try and market their apartments to you


What: State Library of Victoria
Where: 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne
When: 10 - 4 pm both days
Time waiting: Queues expected. Tours every 15 minutes. Duration of tour 30 minutes. First tour 10:15am Last tour at 3.45pm
Description: Enter the main entrance of the Library and proceed to the foot of the Cowen Gallery stairwell where you will be met by your tour guide. The tour will take you to the Elephant Lift, followed by the Pendulum Staircase and then below ground and into the Catacombs. The tour ends at stairs leading to Little Lonsdale. Visitors with mobility issues will be escorted back to the main building.
Pros: Catacombs sound interesting. Goes into private spaces that are rarely open.
Cons: Can go into public spaces at any time. Queues.


What: Bastow institute of educational leadership
Where: 603-615 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
When: 10 - 4 both days
Time waiting: No queues expected. Tours of 12 people every 30 minutes
Description: Join a tour to hear about the architecture and its impact on education. Visitors will have access to the three levels of the building including the underground lecture theatre, the terrace, outdoor learning spaces, the observational class room, the community room on the ground level and the upstairs syndicate rooms. Peter Maddison [who does Grand Designs Australia] will be conducting presentations in the theatre over the weekend
Pros: Chance to hear Peter Maddison speak; no queues expected
Cons: Travel time; not sure when presentations are on; may be able to hear Peter Maddison at Grand Designs Live show later in year.


What: Melbourne University Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology
Where:Melbourne Uni, Cnr of Grattan Street and Royal Parade, Carlton
When: 10 - 4pm both days
Time waiting: Queues expected. Tours of 20 people every 30 minutes
Description: The museum is not usually open to the public, so Open House visitors are urged to make the most out of this opportunity. Tours of the Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology, on the third floor of the Medical Building, will leave from the Grattan Street entrance. With over 1200 specimens on display and used for teaching in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, the museum’s collection includes human anatomy alongside various pathologies, as well as historical models, medical moulages and death masks. Many of these unique specimens and artefacts date back to the 1800s.
Pros: Interesting exhibition that you don't normally get a chance to see
Cons: Queues; not architecture themed; might be a bit gruesome.


* What: Little black number (private house)
Where: 75 Leveson Street, North Melbourne
When: 10 - 4 Saturday, 10 - 2 Sunday
Time waiting: Queues likely. Entry by tour, every 20 minutes. 10 people per group.
Description: This is a three bedroom, two bathroom house in the midst of North Melbourne mechanics' yards, built on a small space of only 5m x 16m. All of this private house will be open to the public, including the upstairs bedrooms, courtyard and living spaces.
Pros: I love looking at houses and am interested in the architecture of small spaces.
Cons: Some distance out of Melbourne; queues

*What: Royal Children's Hospital
Where: 50 Flemington Road, Parkville
When: 10 - 4pm both days
Time waiting: Queues expected, tours leave every 30 minutes
Description: Tours will visit the main street, specialists clinics, meerkat enclosure, family precinct and entry to the wards.
Pros: I have heard the hospital is an interesting building and it has an aquarium, so I was already interested in going and looking at the public spaces. Also the tour sounds quite interesting and involves meerkats.
Cons: Queues; I could still go and look at the public spaces at any time.



What: Hive graffiti apartments
Where: 26 Sutton Place, Carlton
When: 10 - 4pm each day
Time waiting: Queues expected but building tours are self guided
Description: The project is the architect's home and they used it as an opportunity to experiment. Tour one typical apartment and the common and public areas. There will also be graffiti and architecture discussions with the owners. [Note: the facade of the building is designed to incorporate graffiti, it looks interesting. See building page or google for more information.]
Pros: Chance to see an interesting and unusual building; I am interested in house architecture.
Cons: Travel time to get there.


What: DesignInc
Where: Level 2, Melbourne GPO Building
350 Bourke Street, Melbourne
When: 10 - 4pm both days
Time waiting: Queues expected. Entry by tour, 15 people every 20 minutes.
Description: Explore the studio spaces with staff and view animations, presentation boards, working drawings and models of projects. Learn about the studio’s design as well as DesignInc’s own contributions to Melbourne’s architectural landscape.
Pros: Sounds interesting and is architecture themed; centrally located; inside GPO
Cons: Queues

on 2012-07-22 09:14 am (UTC)
lilacsigil: 12 Apostles rocks, text "Rock On" (12 Apostles)
Posted by [personal profile] lilacsigil
The substations and the Peter Mac bunker tour sound particularly awesome! So does the Royal Melbourne Hospital tunnels tour.

on 2012-07-22 09:49 am (UTC)
in_the_bottle: (Donna brilliant)
Posted by [personal profile] in_the_bottle
I'm actually at the Melb Brain Centre 1 day a week doing a work experience/research assistant thing. That place is like CSI labs!! Apparently they also have a MRI machine in that building, but I have no idea where the hell it is. I'm usually in the animal study labs on the 6th floor.

And a bunch of Sherlock cosplayers are planning to do the open house thing on Sat in costume and take pics. Not sure where they're going or how that'll turn out. I'll probably tag along with them since [profile] slashybits is going.

on 2012-07-25 02:33 pm (UTC)
in_the_bottle: (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] in_the_bottle
LOL! Maybe... I'm helping one of my previous lecturer in her research on the role of estrogen in preventing schizophrenia using animal study. So lab rats!! And the building is actually quite interesting architecturally.

Well, you have my mobile, and Sandra's mobile, she'll be around as well. I have a feeling we'll be hanging around in the city. Dear god, there are going to be a lot of insane Sherlock cosplayers in the CBD, I think it's worth the trip just to see how crazy they are. If the FB page is any indication, it's going to be crazy! ;)

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