Concerns ignored
Dr John Raison has delivered expert criticisms of the INFM.
In reply: silence.
Fusilier Cottage is one of the many spaces being highlighted this year, it features an extension to the historic home made with vertical hydro-wood and sliding glass panels that allow for flexible usage of the new space. Image: Adam Gibson
MAIN PIC: The Forest is an incredible project transforming an old industrial building into a stunning learning space heavily featuring timber for both structure and aesthetics. Image: Peter Bennetts
From an abandoned zoo that once housed Tasmania’s last captive thylacine to an extraordinary underground library beneath MONA, Open House Hobart is inviting Tasmanians to step inside some of the state’s most fascinating buildings, places and spaces when the event returns on 7 and 8 November.
The Australian Institute of Architects Tasmanian Chapter has unveiled the full 2026 Open House Hobart program, featuring more than 70 buildings and experiences across Hobart and surrounding areas, with free building openings, guided tours, talks and special events celebrating architecture, design and the stories that shape our communities.
The launch coincided with World Architecture Day on Monday 5 October, an international celebration of architecture and the role it plays in shaping our communities and everyday lives. This year’s program reflected that spirit, inviting people to look beyond the buildings themselves and discover the people, ideas, materials, histories and stories that make the places around us meaningful.
A PROGRAM FULL OF SURPRISES
This year’s program offers a remarkable mix of the familiar and the unexpected.
Visitors can venture underground into Phrontisterion, MONA’s extraordinary library, home to more than 30,000 books, maps and rare volumes, or explore the hidden spaces beneath Princes Park and Alexandra Battery.
They can step inside Parliament House, the Supreme Court, Hobart Town Hall and the State Library and Archives for rare behind-the-scenes access, and discover the stories held within some of Tasmania’s most important civic buildings.
Historic buildings feature alongside contemporary architecture throughout the program. Visitors can explore Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, a convict-built Gothic Revival church dating from the 1840s, discover the layers of history revealed by the restoration of the Black Swan, or step inside Domain House and the Philip Smith Centre to see how historic buildings have been adapted for contemporary learning and community life.
For those curious about Tasmania’s mid-century architectural story, the program includes several remarkable examples of modernism, including houses designed by Esmond Dorney, the recently adapted Snow’s Dry Cleaning building in Glenorchy, and the Riverfront Motel, where visitors can explore a surviving piece of Glenorchy’s mid-century landscape.
There are also plenty of opportunities to see how architecture is responding to contemporary challenges.
At The Forest, former industrial buildings and a 1997 glass dome have been transformed into a new learning environment featuring an indoor temperate rainforest, mass timber and extensive use of hempcrete. At Weld Street Passivhaus and A Compact Architecture, visitors can see how design and construction can deliver highly energy-efficient and comfortable buildings, while Hard Core explores the possibilities of rammed earth construction.
The program also looks at housing, from Family Sorell’s exploration of terrace housing as a contemporary model for affordable homes to intimate houses where materials, landscape and craftsmanship are central to the experience of living.
Beyond buildings, Open House Hobart will offer walking tours, design experiences, conversations and opportunities to discover the stories of the places around us. Visitors can explore the history of Glenorchy with archaeologist and heritage officer David Parham, look more closely at Hobart’s Art Deco buildings, discover the history of worker housing at Drip Village, or explore the relationship between architecture, landscape and winemaking at Pressing Matters and Stargazer Wines in the Coal River Valley.
ARCHITECTURE MEETS PERFORMANCE
The program will also feature a unique collaboration between architecture and performance at the newly reimagined Millington Coffin Workshops by Taylor and Hinds Architects.
For ARIA HOUR, Second Echo Ensemble will transform the former workshops into an intimate performance space, inviting audiences one at a time to experience a fleeting aria performed especially for them.
Beginning at Scholé with a glass and a bite from acclaimed chef Luke Burgess, the experience leads audiences into the building and into a glimpse of The Eternal River, Second Echo Ensemble’s new opera in development.
Part architecture tour, part tiny opera and part beautiful interruption, ARIA HOUR offers a rare opportunity to experience a building through sound, performance and an audience of one.
KEVIN McCLOUD AND TIM ROSS JOIN THE PROGRAM
The program will also feature a special event on Friday 6 November with internationally recognised architecture and design advocates Kevin McCloud, presenter of Grand Designs, and Tim Ross, Australian comedian, broadcaster and architecture advocate, at Hobart College.
Together, they will explore why architecture matters, how our buildings and cities shape the way we live, and what we can discover when we look more closely at the places around us.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DISCOVERING TASMANIA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT
In 2025, Open House Hobart and Open House Southern Midlands attracted more than 20,000 visits across two weekends, demonstrating strong public interest in exploring Tasmania’s built environment.
Open House Hobart returns in 2026 with another opportunity for people to discover buildings they know from the outside, places they have never entered and stories they may never have heard.
Tasmanian Chapter President of the Australian Institute of Architects, Daniel Lane, said Open House offered an opportunity for everyone to experience design come to life.
“Open House Hobart is one of the best opportunities all year for people to experience architecture first-hand and discover how the built environment influences the way we live, work and connect with one another.
“What makes architecture so powerful is that it’s something we all experience every day. Open House allows people to look beyond the façade and understand the ideas, stories and creativity behind the buildings and spaces that shape Hobart and Tasmania.”
Executive Leader Tasmania at the Australian Institute of Architects, Jennifer Nichols, said the program was about encouraging people to be curious about the places around them.
“Open House is really an invitation to have a look.
“You might walk past a building every day without ever wondering what is inside, why it looks the way it does or what stories it holds. Open House gives people the opportunity to slow down, step through the door and see these places from a different perspective.
“This year’s program brings together an extraordinary mix of buildings and experiences, from significant heritage places and civic buildings to experimental homes, working studios, public spaces and places most people would never normally have the opportunity to enter.
“Architecture is not just about buildings. It is about people, place, materials, history and the way we live together. Open House helps make those connections visible.”
Open House Hobart takes place Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026.
Most building openings and activities are free, with bookings required for selected tours and events.
