Glenn Murcutt to design MPavilion for Melbourne

Murcutt was selected to design the MPavilion for the Queen Victoria Gardens in Melbourne by commission organisers, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. The temporary pavilion is used to host a broad variety of workshops, talks, performances and installations over its summer lifespan – in many respects making it the Australian answer to the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London.  “It’s extraordinary what Naomi has achieved with MPavilion,” says Murcutt on his selection.

“She’s one of the great people in this country for supporting the arts, and more than just art but architecture, with a special understanding of city life. MPavilion is an interesting and assiduous project, and I’m honoured to be commissioned," added Murcutt, who recently completed the design for the Australian Islamic Centre in the city.  Details of the design have yet to be revealed.  Past MPavilion commissions have gone to Amanda Levete's studio AL_A, Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai, Sean Godsell and OMA. Each pavilion goes on to have an afterlife, with previous editions currently installed at in the city's zoo, museum and university grounds and docklands.  The 2018 pavilion designed by Barcelona-based architect Carme Pinós of Estudio Carme Pinós closed last weekend. 
Murcutt's MPavilion will open to the public on 12 November 2019 and remain in-situ until 15 March 2020.

Header image: Australian Isalamic Centre, Melbourne. Photo Anthony Browell