Open Christchurch Is Back!

Open Christchurch, the one-weekend-only annual festival of architectural excellence, is set to return on 30 April and 1 May with a new programme packed with Ōtautahi’s special buildings.

The event had an incredibly successful first outing in 2021, when Open Christchurch captured the public’s imagination and saw over 12,500 visits to the 46 open buildings. The 2022 programme will continue to offer first-hand encounters with good design in a celebration of Christchurch’s architecture.

From contemporary to Gothic Revival, from industrial structures to recreational ones, the buildings once again cover a variety of ages, styles and uses and are free for the public to explore, apart from a handful of bookings-only, limited-access private residences. Presented by Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City Making, the festival seeks to connect people to places.

Yet, this year’s edition will be different to its predecessor: not only is there a focus on hidden gems and a greater number of buildings spread across the city, there is also the continually evolving COVID situation to reckon with.

“We are still planning the festival and will be live on the weekend of 30 April & 1 May, as long as it is feasible and we can proceed safely. Given the circumstances, this year’s edition will be different, but experiencing great architecture will still be front and centre,” says Te Pūtahi director, Jessica Halliday.

“Christchurch is so familiar with being nimble and adaptive - we’re used to the process of responding to changing circumstances while looking after people. For Te Pūtahi, the health, safety and wellbeing of staff, volunteers, building partners and members of the public remain our priority.” My Vaccine Pass will be required as proof of entry for all participants, aged 12 years and 3 months and over, at the event.

The festival is made possible by a significant amount of collaboration and participation from building partners, sponsors and funders and a host of volunteers. All of these people help Open Christchurch to offer access to buildings of architectural, cultural and historical significance that tell not only the story of Ōtautahi’s architecture, but that of the city itself.

Among the more-than-40 buildings included in the programme, there are several old favourites returning, including the rebuild’s crown jewel Tūranga, the epitome of adaptive reuse Te Hononga Civic Building and the Modernist masterpiece 65 Cambridge Terrace – so that those who missed out last year have a chance to nosey behind those doors this year.

Circumstances allowing, a range of activities will be on offer to facilitate a deeper delve into the spaces and to cater to those keen to learn more. These include expert tours, exhibitions, audio tours for self-discovery and activities for youngsters.

Festival organisers invite the public to join them on 30 April & 1 May for Open Christchurch 2022, so that they can discover and explore their city through architecture.

The full programme will be launched in March. Entry to buildings is free, apart from limited-access residences, where a nominal $5 plus book fee is levied, in order to control privacy and numbers.

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