Back again for 2018, Melbourne’s MPavilion is open to the public, with a design by Carme Pinós like Origami. For the past 5 years, the annual event has been the Southern hemisphere’s response to the Serpentine Pavillion, featuring Rem Koolhaas, Bijoy Jain, and Amanda Levete. However, for this year, a four-month program will be hosted at the structure, featuring more than 500 Australian and international guests and collaborators.
Held in Melbourne’s “Queen Victoria Gardens”, this year’s pavilion celebrates ‘building communities and women in leadership. The design was developed by Barcelona-based architect Carme Pinós, making it her first public project in Australia. Taking the theme into consideration, the designer was inspired by Origami; creating a structure that opens its wings out to welcome the city.
image by john gollings
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Pinós explains, “In designing this year’s MPavilion, I wanted first to make a space for the people of Melbourne to feel connected — to each other, to the city they live in, and to nature.” Then, she further elaborates, “We are all part of the world, and architecture can tell that story and provide a place for us to experience life together. I hope the MPavilion becomes a flow of knowledge and creativity this summer.”
image by john gollings
Indeed, the architect translates this through the pavilion’s geometric composition, allowing the altered topography to form the three mounds which hold a range of seating options. Moreover, the intersections between seating compositions form the structure’s roof, which is composed of two distinctive halves. Consequently, the overall structure creates a new experience, allowing easy movement as well as sitting and engaging with others. On another note, Pinós has also designed a foldable birch plywood stool, complementing the structure’s style while functioning as seats for visitors over the coming months.
image by john gollings
The MPavilion is a temporary summer structure that has been erected annually since 2014. However, by the end of the season, it is gifted to the people of Victoria. The idea is to create an ongoing legacy as the structure is moved to a permanent location for a new community to engage with. The MPavilion, which is described as “an enduring architectural creation”, is commission and initiated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation with support from the city of Melbourne.
image by john gollings
With reference to this year’s pavilion, the foundation’s chair Naomi Milgrom states; “Working with Carme to bring her inspiring MPavilion design to life has been an absolute pleasure.” She adds, “Carme’s vision opens Australia to conversations about how to make our cities more inclusive through design. It’s a privilege to commission a work with such international and future-thinking insight”.
