For the fifth time, Melbourne’s MPavilion 2018 is officially open to the public. The 2018-19 edition of the temporary structure was this time designed by Spanish architect Carme Pinós. A special focus for this year’s pavilion is on celebrating communities and women in leadership – the summer program will encompass over 500 Australian and international guests and collaborators. 

Commenting on this year’s collaboration the commissioner of the MPavilion, Naomi Milgrom of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, shares, “Working with Carme to bring her inspiring MPavilion 2018 design to life has been an absolute pleasure. 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.”

This year’s design presents dichotomies in a variety of manifestations. It is both strong and striking in its form while creating a subtle softness through the dappled light that filters through the timber slatted roof. The design presents a welcoming and sturdy presence in the Queen Victoria Gardens, across the road from the National Gallery of Victoria. A key point of difference in this year’s pavilion is the resolution in the surrounding landscaping – deep guttering directs the flow of water off the roof and onto three carefully placed mounds, each planted with local natives. 

In true Pinós form, the sculptural design incorporates majestic wings inspired by origami that, rather than make a heroic statement, opens the MPavilion to the city, encouraging movement, meetings and new experiences. The geometric configuration assembled in two distinct halves intersect with each other to form the pavilion’s roof.

An altered topography forms three mounds that incorporate seating, allowing a multitude of community-focused activities to ‘unfold’. Designed for MPavilion and to celebrate the opening, Carme has also released a specially commissioned stool made in Spain by hand-tinted birch plywood.

“In designing this year’s MPavilion, I wanted firstly to make a space for the people of Melbourne to feel connected—to each other, to the city they live in, and to nature. 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,” says Pinós.

MPavilion 2018 is designed as both a temporary summer pavilion and an enduring architectural creation. At the end of each season, MPavilion is gifted to the people of Victoria and moved to a permanent new home to be engaged by the community in perpetuity, creating an ongoing legacy in Melbourne’s increasingly sophisticated architectural landscape.

Open every day from 9am–4pm, take a look at the program and plan your MPavilion experience.

Photography by John Gollings.

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