Sydney Opera House · Sep 2012–May 2014
Own Our
House
A world-first digital philanthropy platform that let anyone on earth own a virtual tile on one of Australia’s most iconic buildings — and fund its future.
A world-first digital philanthropy platform that let anyone on earth own a virtual tile on one of Australia’s most iconic buildings — and fund its future.
The Sydney Opera House was approaching its 40th anniversary in 2013 with a major renewal program underway. The building that belonged culturally to all Australians needed funding — but traditional fundraising models weren’t reaching the broader public.
The insight: Australians already felt they owned the Opera House emotionally. The product was to make that ownership real — tangible, personalised, shareable, and financially meaningful.
I conceived and built Own Our House — a digital philanthropy platform that let anyone in the world purchase a virtual tile on the Opera House’s tallest sail for $100 (Ice tile) or $400 (Snow tile). Using laser-mapping technology, each tile was mapped precisely to its real-world counterpart on the building.
Purchasers — called Housemates — could personalise their tile with a photo and message, join tile communities with artists and public figures, visit their tile through a 3D replica of the building online, and share it across social media. The mechanism borrowed the emotional logic of ownership: you weren’t donating to a building. You were owning a piece of it.
All funds went directly to the Opera House renewal fund — supporting building works, more free public events, digital innovation, and education initiatives.
125,000 tiles were made available across the A2 sail. The campaign launched in December 2013 with Hugh Jackman among the first to purchase, alongside Delta Goodrem, Jack Thompson, Josh Pyke and others. The campaign was covered internationally as a pioneering model for civic and cultural crowdfunding.
The ownourhouse.com.au website remains live today.