This year’s festival focuses on the renowned partnership of Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney and the rise of the Christchurch Modern style, the city’s coastal identity, and the journey of educational architecture in Christchurch, spanning 159 years in the programme.

Fifty-two buildings of different ages, styles and uses will be open for the public to experience for free, apart from a handful of private residences that require a small booking fee. 

Open Christchurch begins with a special evening programme of two panel discussions at Te Puna Wānaka on Friday 5 May that consider the drivers and opportunities of Māori architectural design past and present, and continues into the weekend with its full programme.

View and download the full programme here.

This year’s special architectural experiences include behind-the-fences tours of the Canterbury Provincial Council Chambers, which have been inaccessible to the public since earthquakes; a nosey through a private, multi-generational contemporary residence that looks like an elongated milking shed but contains a crafted treasure within, and an evening at Te Puna Wānaka (Ara | Te Pūkenga) exploring Māori architecture and design in Ōtautahi. 

People are invited to explore the city in different ways, whether that be discovering the estuary-inspired rebuild of the Mt Pleasant Community Centre with its architect Chris Moller (formerly of Grand Designs), taking a guided walk through the University of Canterbury to explore its journey of becoming a te Tiriti based campus with Corban Te Aika (Ngāi Tahu) or joining a tour of the Christchurch Town Hall that asks ‘How accessible is the city’s “living room?”.

Other highlights include culturally, historically and architecturally important buildings that are not generally open for free to the public, such as the sustainable and educational Kahukura (Ara), the collection of heritage buildings at Christ’s College, and last year’s popular industrial treasure Wood’s Mill. Children’s architecture-themed workshops at the Arts Centre return; as do expert tours of buildings by the architects and engineers behind their design. The Tongan Church Fonua ‘o e maná with Michael O’Sullivan, Te Ora Hou with Amiria Kiddell and St Andrew’s Centennial Chapel with Jane Rooney are just some of the inclusions. 

Warren and Mahoney partnership

Seven buildings, including three private residences, capture the development of Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney’s significant partnership, while a Saturday evening programme, ‘Christchurch has style: the legacy of Sir Miles Warren & Maurice Mahoney’, features never-before-seen footage of the pair and a series of quick-fire talks from owners and architects who have restored, strengthened and cared for works of architecture that are part of this legendary partnership’s legacy. The Macmillan Brown Library will be displaying Warren & Mahoney’s architectural drawings as part of its bookable behind-the-scenes tour, while Objectspace is mounting an exhibition of Warren’s watercolours (curated by John Walsh), in the flat he designed at 65 Cambridge Terrace. People can also sign up for a Christchurch City Libraries sketch tour of Warren & Mahoney buildings.

Buildings are open at different times across the weekend, bookable activities are timetabled and a handful of buildings require advance bookings.

Visit openchch.nz for bookings, building-specific accessibility and more information.