Melbourne Connect becomes major feature of Open House Melbourne

This July, Melbourne Connect will work with Open House Melbourne for the very first time to become a new and exciting addition to their program, which this year will be made up of a hybrid of digital and in-person events, culminating in the much-loved Open House Weekend on 24 & 25 July.

With over 100,000 Melburnian’s anticipated to again take part in the weekend, Open House Melbourne will provide the public with a chance to explore our brand-new purpose-built innovation precinct, powered by the University of Melbourne in partnership with a consortium led by Lendlease.

Now in its 14th year, Open House Melbourne is a collaboration with a wide range of architects, designers, buildings and community groups and sees iconic locations around Melbourne opening their doors to the public for carefully managed visits and tours, alongside a city-wide program of events for all ages and abilities.

Register your interest to be notified once tour bookings become available.

Designed by internationally acclaimed architectural firms Woods Bagot and Hayball, with fit outs by Hassell, Architectus and Smart Design Studio, the 75,800sqm Melbourne Connect precinct boasts smart and sustainable design with a 6-star green star rating, a 4.5-star NABERS water rating, a 5 star NABERS energy rating and is home to one of Melbourne’s largest rooftop solar PV arrays, geothermal energy and on-site rainwater harvesting.

Built on the site of the former Royal Women’s Hospital, it features a series of interconnecting buildings arranged around a central landscaped open space known as Womin Djerring (Come Together).

At the heart of this extraordinary precinct is the 3,600sqm Superfloor, a generous meeting and event space designed to create an immersive environment to explore new ideas, showcase work and to collaborate with leading minds in innovation.

Science Gallery Melbourne occupies 3,800 sqm within Melbourne Connect, and will be a key part of the Open House tour experience. Visitors will be given the opportunity to explore expertly curated works that fuse art and science together through bold exhibitions targeted to 15 to 25-year-olds. The gallery is part of the acclaimed Global Science Gallery Network, pioneered by Trinity College Dublin.

The internal galleries within Science Gallery were designed by Smart Design Studio and include large-scale, flexible exhibition, event, education, laboratory, retail and theatre spaces as well as social areas. A special Open House tour will speak to the site’s important First Nations history, its innovative design, and its unique intersection between arts and science.

Melbourne Connect brings together world-class researchers, industry, start-ups, higher-degree students, artists and Science Gallery Melbourne, offering a place that connects brilliant minds to tackle the most pressing problems facing our society.

The precinct draws upon the University’s expertise in emerging technologies including robotics, computer science, and cyber security and is also home to the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT), including the Computing and Information Systems (CIS) School, as well as a number of research centres from the faculties of Law, Science, and Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Other partners based at the precinct include the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), SANE Australia, Clarke-Hopkins-Clarke, MAXONIQ and Apromore. Partners will be surrounded by some of Australia’s most outstanding emerging entrepreneurial talents with the Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre (comprising the Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP) and Translating Research at Melbourne (TRAM)) moving to Melbourne Connect.

Also, the new state-of-the-art Telstra Creator Space will give students, start-ups and industry access to a world-leading fabrication and prototyping laboratory. It will also help foster collaboration through workshops, industry-based projects and events.

Purpose-built graduate accommodation at The Lofts @ Melbourne Connect will enable more than 500 postgraduate researchers and visiting academic residents to stay at the precinct.

Located close to the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and as part of the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Connect is also part of the Melbourne Innovation District, a joint initiative of the University of Melbourne, RMIT University and the City of Melbourne.

This is a rare chance to see inside a precinct that is set to become a digital and data powerhouse.