Temporary summer installation MPavilion 2019 opens in Melbourne

The latest installation of MPavilion 2019 has been opened to the public in Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne, Australia.

MPavilion 2019 was commissioned by Naomi Milgrom Foundation and designed by Australian architect Glenn Murcutt. It is also the sixth instalment of an ongoing series of summer pavilions for Melbourne.

MPavilion 2019 is defined by its overhanging roof with translucent, lightweight white fabric in curved trusses. It has convex ceiling to enhance its acoustic effects underneath.

The fabric roof allows sunlight to shine through and the concealed LEDs illuminate the canopy like a lantern at night.

Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Murcutt said: “I felt a crisp white building that at night could be lit from within its roof, like a lantern in the Queen Victoria Gardens, giving the pavilion a feeling of lightness, would sit comfortably in the location. Having the pavilion face north, open towards the river, I could work with good climatic conditions. This also means that from within the MPavilion one can view the gardens to the river and the city.”

This temporary pavilion has a rectangular plan and is oriented towards the north in order to maximise the views of the Yarra River. As the structure features a minimal steel frame, it becomes easy to dismantle.

The 80ft x 30ft pavilion features electronically operated fabric blinds on the south facade and has two alcoves with white timber pivot doors that help to cover back-of-house equipment.

In collaboration with Grazia & Co, Melbourne designer Chris Cornell created red steel stools with tubeframe legs for the pavilion, which is free to the public.

The installation will be open for free events from 14 November to 22 March 2020.

Currently in its sixth year, the annual MPavilion architecture commission is a programme of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation to boost the cultural life of Australia through architecture.