Melbourne is recognised worldwide for its generous parklands and Royal Botanical Gardens. In the last couple of years, the southern Australian city is also gaining a reputation for its contemporary architecture, partially the result of Naomi Milgrom's drive, on behalf of her foundation, to showcase leading Australian and international architects in a parkland setting through a series of temporary structures: the MPavilion.
First 'cab of the rank' was architect Sean Godsell's lightweight steel pavilion in the Queen Victoria Gardens opposite the National Gallery of Victoria. And today saw the launch of the pavilion created by London-based international architect Amanda Levete, director of AL_A. 'I first met Naomi as a guest for the Melbourne L'Oreal Fashion Festival held a few years ago. The seeds were already set for this pavilion,' says Levete, who was keen to capture the lush environs of the same site allocated to Godsell (his pavilion has already moved on to another city edge site courtesy of the City of Melbourne).
Levete's pavilion, like many of her projects, started with research. One of her recent projects has been developing a suitable outdoor tile for one of the courtyards at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. 'We always start with research,' confirms Levete, who worked closely with a Queensland-based company called mouldCAM, in developing a series of 'petals' to create a lightweight canopy as one would find in a forest. The 52 resin petals, varying in width from three to five metres, are finely poised on slender carbon fibre columns, evocative of trunks. 'It's a contemporary interpretation of a forest, allowing the elements to be felt against one's face while still enjoying the protection a forest offers,' adds Levete.
Located in the city’s green Queen Victoria Gardens, the structure mimics its leafy surroundings
Its canopy is made of 52 resin petals, varying in width from three to five metres
Poised on slender carbon fibre columns, evocative of trunks, the ’petals’ were brought to life with the help of MouldCAM
The pavilion’s design is a contemporary interpretation of a forest, explains Levete
Their extremely slim profile makes the sturcture elegant and ethereal
But they are designed to provide shade and a resting place for visitors to the park, during the warm summer months
INFORMATION
The AL_A pavilion opens on 6th October until Feb 7th at the Queen Victoria Gardens in St.Kilda Road Melbourne. A series of cultural events will coincide at the MPavilion.
Photography: John Gollings
-
Seven monochrome watches nailing the all-black trendBlack goes with everything - here are the watch brands eschewing retro for a sharp and timeless look
-
Aston Martin’s CEO, Adrian Hallmark, sets out the future of the luxury sports car brandWallpaper* sits down with Adrian Hallmark, the newly installed CEO of Aston Martin, to find out how the company will evolve over what promises to be an eventful decade of automotive change
-
Curvature, cantilevers and cashmere: Mumbai-based designer Rooshad Shroff on his new furniture collectionRooshad Shroff’s new furniture collection Balance is a masterclass in structural luxury
-
A suburban house is expanded into two striking interconnected dwellingsJustin Mallia’s suburban house, a residential puzzle box in Melbourne’s Clifton Hill, interlocks old and new to enhance light, space and efficiency
-
2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her designThe 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
-
Palm Beach Tree House overhauls a cottage in Sydney’s Northern Beaches into a treetop retreatSet above the surf, Palm Beach Tree House by Richard Coles Architecture sits in a desirable Northern Beaches suburb, creating a refined home in verdant surroundings
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A monolithic house in rural Victoria celebrates 50 shades of greyAdam Kane Architects’ monolithic house in rural Victoria, Grey House, is ‘a testament to the power of simplicity and harmony’
-
Is Rochester Street Office a creative worker’s dream? Inside a Sydney workspace echoing calmness and lightRochester Street Office by Allied_Office merges utilitarian design with cascading vegetation, presenting a thriving environment for creativity and collaboration
-
A Melbourne family home draws on classic modernism to create a pavilion in the landscapeThis Melbourne family home by Vibe Design Group was inspired by midcentury design and shaped to be an extension of its verdant site
-
Tour Clifton House, an airy Bondi family home, brimming with natural light and foliageClifton House by Anthony Gill Architects is a North Bondi home using an abundance of vegetation to create a slice of privacy within the suburbs
