Bendigo residents will have the chance to explore their city’s finest architecture at the city’s first open house weekend.
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Released on Tuesday, the program blends old and new, residential and commercial, to provide a snapshot the city for everyone to enjoy.
Business and Program Manager Victoria Bennett said the experience of being inside a space was invaluable when it came to engaging with the built environment.
Bendigo is the second regional city in Victoria to host a weekend run by Open House Melbourne.
“Bendigo was an obvious choice from our point of view, displaying interesting heritage, but also as a city growing quickly, contemporary design,” Ms Bennett said.
“We really see the value in experience. An open house means that you actually experience architecture.”
Being inside a space helps people to understand how design affects how they live, Ms Bennett said.
Whatever kind of space that is, the design shapes people’s experience in a more comprehensive way than just appearance.
“You understand how it can affect your life, whether that’s a space you might go for medical treatment, or where you work, or where you live,” Ms Bennett said
For locals the weekend is also an unmissable opportunity for a stickybeak.
Some of Bendigo’s most striking buildings will be open, and it’s an excuse to get into places that are otherwise closed to the public.
The Open House organisation hopes to encourage visitors to value design and architecture. Through this they hope to get people excited about the design and livability of their city.
“When you get people excited about their town and passionate about spaces within it, there’s a knock-on effect,” Ms Bennett said.
“We hope to get them as enthusiastic about decisions that are made about new development.”
Born and bred in Castlemaine, Ms Bennett thought she knew Bendigo’s architecture pretty well. Pulling together she has been excited by the residential and commercial buildings on display.
A particular favourite is the former Bendigo Mining Exchange, which blends a strong heritage with potential for the future.
Bendigo Sustainable House Day will run in conjunction with the weekend, on October 28.
The day will see 11 passive, tiny, retrofitted, off the grid, owner-built and mud-brick homes throw open their doors. More information at bit.ly/2QjzOyS
WHAT YOU CAN VISIT
- The Bendigo Hospital
- The Beehive building
- Bendigo Tramways Depot and Workshop
- Bendigo Law Courts
- Bendigo Library
- Bendigo Tech School
- Marist College Bendigo
- Bendigo Town Hall’s Council Chambers
- Bendigo TAFE’s Octagonal Reading Room
- Bendigo TAFE’s Health and Community Centre of Excellence
- Specimen Hill Cottage
- Girton Grammar
- St Kilian’s Church
- Bendigo Chapel at the Bendigo Cemetery
- RACV’s tiny home
- Bree Architects Studio
The event will also see three residential properties on show, including the award-winning B House in Barkly Street, designed by e+ architecture.
Two doors to other e+ architecture designed houses will also be thrown open, including an extension in Short Street where designers wove a contemporary design into a heritage-listed area. The designers wanted to tip their hat to the area’s history by playing with ‘traditional’ materials including zinc and hardwoods.
A miners cottage that balanced the need to renovate with the importance of historic buildings will also be on show.
Residential property tours will need to be pre-booked.
Open House Bendigo will take place on October 27-28
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