“One of the great values of Open House is that it allows the building owners, volunteers and all who participate to make it their own, forging a commitment between all involved. In this sense, Open House provides an incredible opportunity for all of us to say something about our own city, now and into the future. I look forward to Open House Macau joining our network and beginning an international conversation as well as a local one.”
The event
Explore, experience, talk, think Macau. Throughout the weekend of November 10-11, Macau hosts the first and only Open House initiative to be held in Asia. Open House Macau will get you beyond the walls of 50 insightful buildings and offer free visits, showcasing untold architecture for all to experience. Dozens of opportunities to talk, think about and celebrate the city!
OHM is an architecture festival by and for the city of Macau. Thanks to a collective taskforce and the engagement of our sponsors, building owners, architects and volunteers, private and public buildings that aren’t usually accessible will open their doors. The untold architectural history of Macau uncovered! Dare to take a peek?
In 2017, Open House conducted an Impact Study that aimed at assessing how it contributes to the international shift toward greater public participation in city design. Open House believes environment professionals have a major role at addressing the cities’ challenges and shaping a future where people’s voices become audible to decision makers, ultimately assuring cities remain vibrant and livable places of inspiration and aspiration. Open House empowers people, creating a sense of civic pride, and active citizenship by enabling visitors to understand they can have a greater stake in the future of their city, and by operating at a local scale.
The event is curated and organized by CURB - Center for Architecture and Urbanism, partnering with renowned Open House Worldwide.
“High quality buildings and public spaces are inseparable from the viable development and enhancement of an urban environment. The Open House is an opportunity that allows the public to become more knowledgeable, engage in dialogue and make informed judgements about architecture.”
About us
-
CURB – Center for Architecture and Urbanism is a non-profit organization established in Macau in 2014, as a think tank on the future of cities and their architecture. CURB’s mission is to promote research, education, production and dissemination of knowledge in the fields of architecture, urbanism, design and urban culture.
CURB develops and supports projects that serve the interests of the community, establishing itself as an exchange platform between the academia, the civil society, and government institutions, through research studies, workshops, conferences, exhibitions, competitions, and other initiatives. The Center works both on a regional level – Macau, Pearl River Delta and China – and on an international level – particularly in Asia and Portuguese-speaking countries –, taking local issues to a global audience.
CURB is an Associate Partner in the World Urban Campaign (WUC), part of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and a Member of the Open House Worldwide Family.
Team
- Curator
- Nuno Soares
- Creative Director
- Filipa Simões
- Coordinators
- Nuno Soares
- Filipa Simões
- Production and Communication Coordinator
- Ponte 9 • Clara Antunes
- Production Assistant
- Ponte 9 • Hermana Heong
- Production Intern
- Ponte 9 • Zmilace Lee
- Communication and Press Relations Assistants
- Ponte 9 • Cecilia U
- Ponte 9 • Teresa Cruz
- Ponte 9 • Mafalda Santos
- Volunteers Coordinator
- Anita Kok
- Volunteers Coordinator Assistant
- Andreia Soares
- Area Coordinators
- Chloe Sio
- Christine Cheong
- Kate Wong
- Kathine Cheong
- Kevin Lam
- Venus Choi
- Sponsorship and Marketing
- Stephanie Z.S.
- Fundraising
- Tiago Patatas
- Research and contents
- Nuno Soares
- Filipa Simões
- Ana Catarina Oliveira
- Andreia Soares
- Anita Kok
- Tiago Patatas
- Whimsy Loc
- Technical Support
- Nuno Rocha • ICM - Cultural Heritage Department
- Design
- WhyDesign
- Website
- Letra Studio
- Printing
- Welfare
- Video
- João Brochado • Faculty of Creative Industries, USJ
- Photography
- CURB Archive
- Nuno Soares
- CURB – Center for Architecture and Urbanism
- Curator and Coordinator
Architect and Urban planner based in Macau since 2003, Ar. Nuno Soares spreads his practice through architectural design, teaching and research.
He studied in Lisbon and Milan having graduated in Architecture and Urban Planning by the Lisbon Faculty of Architecture, with a Post-graduation in Architectural Theory, a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Urbanism, and currently a PhD candidate in Urbanism, writing his thesis about the phenomena of urban space appropriation in Macau.
Senior Lecturer at the University of Saint Joseph in Macau, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a frequent speaker and juror internationally. He founded and directs the Macau based CURB - Center for Architecture and Urbanism.
Currently the Vice President, Zone C, of ARCASIA, he’s a Member of the Board of Directors of the Architects Association of Macau, the Coordinator of the Cities and Territories Working Group of the Congress of Portuguese Speaking Architects (CIALP), a Member of the UIA Education Commission and of the UNESCO-UIA Validation Council for Architectural Education.
As principal of his own office URBAN PRACTICE, he develops projects ranging from the urban scale, to architecture and design, both in Macau and abroad. Winner of the competition for design and curatorship of the Macau Pavilion at the 2013 SZHK Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen) and selected to participate at 2014 Venice Biennale of Architecture with the installation “The Added Layer” in the Macau pavilion.
- Filipa Simões
- WHY DESIGN and PONTE 9 – Creative Platform
- Creative Director and Coordinator
I’m the founder and creative director of WhyDesign, as well as director of Ponte 9 – Creative Platform. Hand in hand with my creative work as a designer and educational work as a visiting teacher at Universidade de São José, I’ve grown to develop a decisive interest in cities, food, books and other graphical depictions of live. I’m passionate about Macau. It is where I grew as a professional, and my life course is nowadays inseparately linked to this very particular city.
Partners
-
PONTE 9 – Creative Platform is a cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural cluster for creative industries housing a set of complementary companies in the areas of design, architecture, urban planning, fabrication, video production and events promotion. Our home stands in a pier building between the river and the city, equipped with a gallery space, a multifunctional area for conferences, lectures, and workshops, offices, co-working area, rooftop, and a fabrication lab for prototyping and product design manufacturing. It was created to provide an inspiring and synergetic ecosystem for startups and young professionals from the creative industries. PONTE 9 promotes its own diverse and inclusive program of activities from exhibitions, to conferences, lectures, workshops and hosts events and initiatives from the residents and partner institutions in Macau and abroad.
PONTE 9 community includes: CURB – Center for Architecture and Urbanism, Urban Practice, WhyDesign and LadyBug Media Production.
-
The University of Saint Joseph offers a wide range of programmes across different fields of knowledge. The government of Macao accredits all our programs, and our graduates have been able to pursue careers and further studies with prestigious local and international institutions.
-
Open House Worldwide is one of the most important global institutions for the promotion of architecture. It conveys a simple but powerful concept: to invite everyone to explore and debate the value of a well-designed built environment, entirely for free.
The very first Open House architecture festival was held in London in 1992, founded and since then led by Victoria Thornton. It generated great interest and excitement and soon became popular all over the world. Nowadays, Open House Worldwide includes 40 cities in 4 continents, a network united by a common goal: to involve the public in discussions about the quality of architecture and the built environment, while providing tools for people to understand and learn about their city’s buildings and sites through direct first-hand experience.