OMA’s Australian Debut, MPavilion 2017, Opens to the Public
MPavilion 2017 by OMA
Melbourne, Australia
Designed by partners Rem Koolhaus and David Gianotten, the temporary aluminum structure is a modern interpretation of the traditional amphitheater. One of the seating areas is fixed into a man-made hill while the other is movable.
Photo © John Gollings, courtesy MPavilion
MPavilion 2017 by OMA
Melbourne, Australia
A manmade hill landscaped with 12 indigenous species of plant abuts the fixed seating area, allowing the pavilion to integrate into the park’s surroundings. In the distance, Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct looms above the project.
Photo © Timothy Burgess, courtesy MPavilion
MPavilion 2017 by OMA
Melbourne, Australia
For this event, the project’s moveable seating area was positioned to face out into the park where the audience gathered while leaving the interior seating open.
Photo © Timothy Burgess, courtesy MPavilion
MPavilion 2017 by OMA
Melbourne, Australia
In this event, MPavilion was arranged to seat attendees inside the structure under its six-foot-deep, translucent gridded canopy.
Photo © OMA
MPavilion 2017 by OMA
Melbourne, Australia
At night, a lighting system embedded in the roof canopy illuminates the pavilion.
Photo © Timothy Burgess, courtesy MPavilion
Architects & Firms
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.
