Two architect designed Homes Open Their Doors for World MS Awareness Day - a Wellington Multiple Sclerosis fundraiser

The Open Homes

What: Two architect designed Open Homes - a fundraiser for Wellington MS

When: Saturday 30 May 2026 - World MS Awareness Day

Where: Two homes in Brooklyn (a short 15 minute walk apart)

Tickets: $25 presale via Humanitix (all proceeds to Wellington MS)

This project has been initiated by Micah Rickards, architect of the multi-award-winning Walker Box and Person with MS, as a way to support his local MS Society.

The Open Homes will be held on World MS Awareness Day 2026 to raise awareness and funds for Wellington MS (Multiple Sclerosis), which provides Greater Wellington's free mobile Community Advisory Service.

Each Open Home will have the architect or owner/developer available for questions, with other guides positioned throughout the home to help your tour flow well.

There will be four Open Home sessions (10 - 11 am, 11am - 12 noon and 1 -2pm or 2 - 3pm), so select your session. Your ticket allows you to view both Open Homes during the same session.

Ticket details

You will be emailed the full address for both Open Homes after you purchase tickets. Tickets are limited to 50 per session and will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

Open Home start

Your ticket gives you access to BOTH Open Homes within the same session and you are welcome to start at either of the homes. You have an hour to see both homes including the short walk between them.

Children

Children are welcome, but please note this space may not be fully child-safe. Caregivers should supervise closely and use their judgement when deciding whether to bring children.

Refunds

As this event is a fundraiser for the Wellington Multiple Sclerosis Society we are not in a position to offer refunds. If you are unable to attend your session on the day then we thank you for generously supporting our fundraising event.

Open Home Etiquette and Rules

These two beautiful homes have been generously opened by their owners to raise funds for Wellington MS on World MS Awareness Day, so please be considerate and respectful and please familiarize yourself with the Open Home House Rules further down this webpage.

Further information about each of the properties is below.

Tucked into a steep Wellington hillside, Walker Box began as a simple idea: building a home where an unusable garage once sat on a friend’s front yard. It’s a small, optimistic project about making better use of the spaces we already have.

Designing and building while living with MS made me think deeply about what it means to live well, and the importance of having friends and community close by. Those are values we’re celebrating today as we raise awareness for Wellington Multiple Sclerosis.

A slender tower of white concrete block rises to catch sun and valley views, replacing the familiar “hillside garage” with a light-filled 62 m2 home. At the top is a compact living space; below, a cosy sleeping corner and bathroom pod; and at street level, a flexible studio that works as a hair salon by day, and a guest, yoga or music space by night. It’s a playful house, but also a practical prototype — an approach that could be repeated across the city to create good density and neighbourly living.

After three years with hammer and nail in hand, working alongside my father and partner, Walker Box is finished thanks to the generosity of many. We’re opening it to support Wellington Multiple Sclerosis  — a cause close to me — and to celebrate how thoughtful design can create good homes and strong community.

Micah Rickards

Architect

Our home reflects a very hands-on journey. 

We worked closely with AKA Architecture, who took the time to understand how we live and what mattered to us. My partner Max project-managed and built the house himself with his team at Brooklyn Building, with additional help from family, while I shaped the interiors to keep the new build feeling warm and lived-in, including recycled timber floors and simple, honest materials. 

The home is thoughtfully designed to suit our lifestyle at this point in time. It also incorporates a generous workshop/garage alongside light-filled open-plan living, easy connection to a small garden for herbs and veg, and spaces that work equally well for hosting or unwinding. 

Designed to be warm and low-maintenance, the home also includes a number of quiet sustainability choices such as high insulation, north-facing glazing and low-carbon materials. It’s a home we genuinely love living in every day.

Thanks, 

Rhiannon Butler

The owners of these beautiful homes have generously welcomed the opportunity to share them with the public for a small fee, to support the Wellington Multiple Sclerosis free mobile Community Advisory Service.

House Rules

Please respect the homes and in particular:

·       don't go into rooms where the doors are closed

·       remove your shoes before entering and leave outside

·       do not touch belongings, open cupboards or use taps or toilets.

Accessibility

Visitors will need to be able to walk up multiple flights of stairs or on a gently slope to view the houses. Unfortunately neither house is suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters.

Tickets and Sessions

Your ticket provides entry to both open homes during the stated session time so please be on time. You are welcome to start at either home and there is a short 15 minute stroll between the homes. There will be ushers around the home in case you need further information.

Tickets are available for pre-purchase on this Humantix page and we will provide you with a printed guide on the day . Numbers are limited and door sales will only be available if capacity has not been reached.

Raffles

We expect there may be some raffles and other fundraising on the day.