Gold Coast Open House Launch

City of Gold Coast Council, Acting Mayor, Councillor Donna Gates, and Councillor Glenn Tozer; Gold Coast Open House Architecture Festival, Chair, Mr Christopher Cumming; Brisbane Open House, Chair, Mr Malcom Middleton OAM; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen. 

I begin by thanking Mr Clinton Brewer for his Welcome to Country and by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands of the Gold Coast. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here this evening. 

I am delighted to be with you in person for the first time as Patron of the Gold Coast Open House Architecture Festival. I could only join you virtually last year, so it’s particularly pleasing to be here tonight to officially open the ninth festival. 

It’s difficult to imagine a more fitting location than this for the launch of the Festival. As HOTA loudly and proudly proclaims: “There is (literally) no other venue, anywhere in the world, like HOTA’s Outdoor Stage”. 

With its living green roof and fabulous view of the Surfers Paradise skyline, it’s an inviting, welcoming venue and a great example of how the built environment can help create connected, cohesive communities – it’s a perfect fit with this year’s theme for World Architecture Day1: Architecture for Resilient Communities.  

It’s now more than 30 years since the concept of Open House began in London as a way to encourage citizens to learn about the buildings of their city, and to have meaningful discussions about the future. 

In those three intervening decades, that single event in London has become Open House Worldwide and, as Patron of the Gold Coast Open House Architecture Festival, I’ve been very proud and pleased to see this event become an increasingly important part of what is now the world’s largest celebration of the urban landscape.  

I wish you all happy World Architecture Day next week, and congratulate and thank the City of Gold Coast and the local Open House committee, as well as the many sponsors, supporters and volunteers who have brought this year’s festival to fruition. 

It now gives me great pleasure to officially launch the 2023 Gold Coast Open House Architecture Festival and to present this Certificate of Patronage to your Chairman, Mr Christopher Cumming.