Design for 9th MPavilion Unveiled

The first look at the next MPavilion design comes two months after all(zone), the practice led by architect Rachaporn Choochuey, was announced as the designer of the 9th annual commission that the Naomi Milgrom Foundation has previously given to Glenn Murcutt, Amanda Levete, Carme Pinós, and other since its inaugural year in 2014. Each year — minus 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, when the project moved to a downtown carpark — the temporary pavilions in Queen Victoria Gardens have served as venues for a full summer season of talks, performances, classes, and other events. Following their time there, the structures are gifted to institutions in Melbourne and given longer lives; most recently, the MPavilion 2019 by Glenn Murcutt was gifted to the University of Melbourne.

All(zone)'s design envisions a canopy made from layers of "bespoke, colored nets and architectural fabrics with a waterproof membrane often seen in stadiums," per a press release. Manufacturer Serge Ferrari is supplying the lightweight mesh that is reportedly as transparent as glass but ten times lighter. "This barely-visible mesh," being used for the first time in Australia, per the press release, "allows light and color to shine through the MPavilion while keeping the structure weather-proof and minimizing its impact on the environment." All(zone) is working with TENSYS and AECOM on the engineering of the canopy.