Innovation and design blend seamlessly at the opening of MPavilion

The first in a major series of annual architecture commissions; the inaugural MPavilion was unveiled earlier this week in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens. Initiated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, the MPavilion designed by Sean Godsell will be presented free to the public until 1 February 2015.

The first MPavilion commission, architect Sean Godsell has designed a contemporary pavilion that will bring to life Queen Victoria Gardens over its four-month presentation. With a focus on exciting artistic collaborations, each year a new temporary pavilion will be commissioned from a leading international architect.

A vibrant cultural hub, it will incorporate a diverse and engaging free public program. Commencing this October, as part of Melbourne Festival the MPavilion will include 20 talks, 28 workshops, 18 music events, 14 film screenings, 7 walking and bike tours, 4 art interventions and 2 dance performances.

Godsell’s work is internationally acclaimed; recently winning the International Architecture Award of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum and the National Award for Public Architecture at the AIA Awards 2014 for his design of Melbourne’s RMIT Design Hub.

Inspired by nature and designed to interact with the changing dynamics of the natural environment Godsell commented, “The design incorporates an innovative construction with wall and roof panels that open and close on pneumatic arms. This fully automated ‘outer skin’ means that the pavilion will ‘open’ each morning and ‘close’ at the end of the day in a number of different configurations. Its exterior is perforated aluminium that reflects light and animates the building. Conceived as architecture that ‘blooms like a flower’ each day and opens to its audience, it also has a mysterious box-like quality at night.”

Naomi Milgrom AO, Chair of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, said: Through my foundation I want to initiate a truly inspirational design and architecture project for Melbourne with an enduring legacy. I was inspired by London’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and have sought to take this idea further by adding a robust cultural program that celebrates design, architecture and creativity in our city,” said Ms Milgrom.

At the conclusion of the public presentation of MPavilion, the pavilion will be gifted to the City of Melbourne with the Council planning to relocate the pavilions to permanent sites in the city and so create an ongoing legacy of contemporary architecture.

A bold temporary landmark, MPavilion is set to be meeting place over the next four years that stimulates and drives debate about design, art, music and architecture.

EXHIBITION
MPavilion
7 October 2014 – 1 Feburary 2015
Queen Victoria Park, Melbourne

Image courtesy the architect and MPavilion