In the face of COVID, Brisbane Open House needed to examine new ways of bringing people into Brisbane's architectural sites. The Brisbane Open House provocation centred on developing new ways for audiences to engage with the buildings, sites, stories and histories of Brisbane.

Student's responded to the provocation with projects that developed new approaches to city and building exploration, utilising the resurgence of the QR code to create self guided tours. 360 degree video, online experiences and small intimate events such as Dining in History offered alternate experiences that built COVID considerations into the core of their project. This Must be the Place, featured in our Spotlight video, offered a project that addressed COVID audiences desire for tactile experiences in the absent of physical events. The outcome is a collectible coffee table book celebrating Brisbane's architecture and our relationship to the outside environment.

This Must be the Place

Created by Makani Luske, Lilybelle Eupene-Gordon, Lokk Chen, Yujing Jiang, Hilary Martin

This Must Be The Place is a physical book that creates a tactile, immersive storytelling experience. At a time when all aspects of our lives have been digitised, this project aims to animate key aspects of the BOH experience, which can't be replicated on the screen. The 2020 edition has been divided into four topics; landscape design, indigenous design, subtropical design and local heritage which features three key buildings. These buildings have been incorporated into the book using tactile formats such as textural etchings to encourage play and interaction.

XPLORE

Created by Candace Wong, Selina Young, Isabella Petroff, Adara Tavares

XPLORE is a QR code based exploration that encourages architectural and historical appreciation in the Brisbane area. Users are presented with a suite of locations to investigate, using the app and searching for QR codes to scan on site. When the codes are scanned users are presented with information, videos or quiz questions for them to engage with.

When all the codes and activities are completed the users will be presented with virtual stickers that correlate with the theme of the site. These can be used through iMessage and WhatsApp to commemorate their experience. Scan the code on the image to the right to explore the prototype.

GEOHouse

Created by Ebony Black, Mingyao Wu, Ellen Dolan, Yasmin Kaya, Jess Alchin, Courtney Peel

GEOHOUSE offers an interactive adventure where participants explore the architectural marvels Brisbane has to offer. Once arrived, participants must search for the QR code nearby the building and using their phone camera can scan this, ensuring via the app their personal list of visited buildings are logged. Each building logged makes the participant eligible for a free 3D model of the building they visited, as well as a collectable card and a GEOHOUSE sticker set. These souvenirs are beginner level, buildable projects with each including an information card of the history of the building.

Brisbane Education Package

Created by  Tom Macpherson,  Rebecca Sekhon, Jingwen Wang,  Jared Smith, Chuck Long Wai , Asen Liu

The Brisbane Education Package is an educational service pitched to further enhance the BOH experience through downloadable information packages aimed at students. The education packages will be suited for different age ranges and focuses. Packages written for younger audiences will include simplified language, more pictures, fun facts and activities such as quizzes, word puzzles and crosswords. Contrasted by the university student education package, which will feature specific focus on the architectural background of each landmark, detailed reference lists and extremely detailed research.

Fantasy Forwards

Created by Kerry Cheng, Gavin Ren, Emilyn Foong, Sam Bernard, Ned Odell, Louis Parish

Fantasy Forwards is a series of D&D one-shot events at select Brisbane Open House venues. Fantasy Forwards is a series of Dungeons and Dragons one-shot events that aim to connect the experience of narrative role-playing games with local history in Brisbane. These events would be housed in unique locations here in Brisbane. Players will be given a role-playing story driving experience through the combining of D&D gameplay, Brisbane's rich history, and interaction with the physical space.

BOH Mystery

Created by Sara Ohlin, Isabella Stephan, Sylvia Wong, Elvy Ven,  Fletcher O'Neill

BOH presents an interactive app for crime enthusiasts to experience Brisbane's most unspeakable horrors by solving the investigation and unravelling the true terror's that occurred. Our aim is to create an interactive crime app which can be used to explore and learn about the crimes that have occurred in historical buildings around Brisbane. Scan the QR code to the right to interact with our prototype app that includes two horror themed precincts; Boggo Road Gaol and The Old Windmill.

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Created by Ying Kiu Wong, Xinran Chen, Shuang Yi and Jun Matsubara

Brimmersive is an app that provides a digital platform for our audiences, to discover and learn the stories and histories behind the buildings in Brisbane. The app contains a 3D map of Brisbane which allows users to navigate around, clicking on buildings and discover the history of the location. Each building will also have a 360 degree camera walk through which allows you to see inside. In addition there are also quizzes and puzzles to complete once you have visited each building.

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Dining in History

Created by Jean Woodyatt, Georgia Groves, Ella Watkins, Isabella Nye, Isabella Lewis and Meng Li Tan.

Dining in History is an immersive community-focused program that allows strangers to dine together and learn more about Brisbane’s history. This program aims to educate and bring the community together through locally sourced food and conversation, learning to appreciate what Brisbane has to offer. Dining in History allows the public to peek behind the closed door of Brisbane residential homes, while establishing a stronger community. This experience entails participants dining in local Brisbane residential houses (with the houses being listed on the Dining in History website with the resident’s permission) where they can enjoy dinner, provided and catered by local restaurants/businesses.