Sydney Town Hall will reopen to the public with a free public gala on Friday 5 March and a host of activities over the weekend of March 6 and 7. The Town Hall has been closed for the past 18 months for essential services and the Open Weekend will mark the end of this work.

Visitors will be able to hear some of Sydney’s best musicians in two free public concerts, explore the wonderful treasures that form Sydney Town Hall Collection through the ‘Unvaulted’ exhibition and walk through Town Hall to witness the renewal of our historic icon.

The Live Green House will showcase some of the sustainability improvements made to Sydney Town Hall.
The House will provide information on sustainable technology and innovation and feature expert presenters discussing a range of topics including energy, water, waste, rebates and incentives and lifestyle options such as gardens, growing food and sustainable products. People can walk through the interactive home and examine simple ways they can green their own lives with green products and fittings.

A Cycling Centre will also be set up next to the Live Green House offering advice on the City’s plans, maps, bike parking, micro repair kits, and four bike maintenance workshops with a bike mechanic over the weekend.

CITY OF SYDNEY PRESS RELEASE
Sydney Town Hall will be reopened to the public after a $40 million essential services, internal safety and fire services upgrade – concluding stage one of a five-year rescue plan to protect the 19th century building for future generations.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore invites the community to reclaim its historic Town Hall after a 23-month closure to carry out a major fire safety and essential services upgrade. The opportunity was also taken to transform the Lower Town Hall and improve community function rooms and exhibition spaces.
“After spending $40 million dollars on fire safety, the essential services upgrade and associated necessary internal renovations, we are reopening the doors of this iconic civic building to the people of Sydney. We have completed the first comprehensive overhaul of building services since the 1930s!” Ms Moore said.

“We’ve seized the opportunity to green the building. New plant, sustainable lighting and control and automatic cut-off systems give about 30% energy efficiency, and we have installed the city’s largest array of solar panels on the northern roof supplementing 48KW of power.”

“We had to act! Wiring and piping was old, the plant and operating systems inefficient. Most critically, fire safety for the protection of the building and its occupants including 360,000 visitors annually, was not in accordance with current codes.”

“A three tiered fire protection system comprising early warning alarms, fire sprinklers to the whole building and smoke exhausting and exit lighting for safe emergency egress, now make this large and important public venue code compliant.”

“Smoke extractors, lighting and audio-visual cabling, ensure the hall meets all current standards and requirements for a performing arts venue.”
“We have brought this building into the modern era while retaining its historic charm.”

State of the art fire-fighting systems include a special system of inert gas cylinders to stop potential fires in the curatorial store, where water from sprinklers would damage precious historic artifacts. Town Hall’s organ, one of the worlds greatest, now has its own fire system and humidifier to regulate moisture, ensuring the old cedar and leather bellows do not dry out.
“Much of this work has been designed to be invisible, new sprinklers have been installed throughout the corridors and tucked unobtrusively into the arches to protect the $530 million heritage building,” Ms Moore said.