OMA’s amphitheater-like MPavilion 2017 is the firm’s first built project in Australia and will serve as a literal starting point in local conversation about architecture and design.
Designed by OMA partners Rem Koolhaus and David Gianotten and constructed of aluminum, the temporary pavilion opened to the public today, coinciding with the start of Melbourne’s summer events program, which examines the role of architecture, culture, and design in shaping a city over a four-month-long calendar of workshops, performances, talks, and installations.
MPavilion 2017 marks the fourth edition of the annual project, which is commissioned by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation for Queen Victoria Gardens—a park in the heart of Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct and the epicenter of the city’s summer arts programming.
The completed structure closely resembles the renderings OMA released earlier in the year with two sets of grandstand-like seating—one of which is moveable, while the other is built into a man-made hill of local plants. The architects hope their design will inspire public use above and beyond the Foundation’s planned events.
“Our design for MPavilion 2017 is intended to provoke all kinds of activities through its configurable nature and a materiality that relates to its direct surroundings,” said Koolhaus and Gianotten in a statement.
OMA’s MPavilion will remain in the park until February 2018 when it will be moved to a permanent site within Melbourne’s city business district.
