MPavilion

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Minister for Planning Richard Wynne will speak later on today at MPavilion as part of a discussion regarding Melbourne's architectural design and the policy which guides it.

The event is set for a 6:15pm start this evening, and is free for those wanting to attend.

In light of recent discussion surrounding apartment design standards, the direction of Fishermans Bend and so on, Minister Wynne's attendance for the event titled <a href="http://mpavilion.org/program/high-density-happiness-developing-policy/">High Density Happiness: Developing Policy</a> is set to further advance the current debate.

Readers will recognise High Density Happiness as a term coined by progressive Melbourne developer Neometro. Certified as a B-Corporation, Neometro has championed High Density Happiness which essentially highlights the positives that can flow when good design is allowed to flourish in a high density living sense.

Indeed Neometro's James Tutton will form part of the speaking panel, as will Simon Knott of BKK Architects and MAArchitects director Karen Alcock.

Along with Minister Wynne, the primary point of discussion will surround suggested improvements to the design review process, minimum size standards and aesthetic guidelines that would support quality, adaptable and sustainable housing.

The discussion is set to provide insight into how Melburnians will live, in light of pending policy implementations.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/44084961_richardwynne_cr_delwp-copy.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Richard Wynne will provide insight at this evening's talk"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/44084961_richardwynne_cr_delwp-copy.jpg?itok=QU9Wn4N4" title="Richard Wynne will provide insight at this evening's talk" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Richard Wynne will provide insight at this evening's talk</figcaption></figure>MPavilion is found within the Queen Victoria Gardens, opposite Southbank's Arts Precinct.

Acting as an events hub and architectural landmark, this years MPavilion is the design of Bijoy Jain from Studio Mumbai. <a href="http://mpavilion.org/program/high-density-happiness-developing-policy/">High Density Happiness: Developing Policy</a> is one of many ebvents to be held at the venue over the coming months.

MPavilion's schedule sees it operate through to February 2017.
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Richard Wynne to speak on design policy at MPavilion this evening

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Located in the Queen Victoria Gardens, MPavilion will officially be opened today with the event to be defined by its temporary architectural structure. Following in the footsteps of <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/melbournes-architectural-summer">Sean Godsell Architects' 2014 commission</a>, British design firm AL_A have produced this year's pavilion which will stand until the event's completion in February 2016.

Each year over a stretch of four years, an architect will be commissioned to design a temporary pavilion for the Queen Victoria Gardens. AL_A snared the second pavilion which will be free for the public to visit as of today.

Employing cutting edge technology, the MPavilion 2015/16 seeks to mimic the surrounding forest canopy of the Queen Victoria Gardens, while also illuminating during the evening.

<h2>MPavilion design</h2>

Assemble Papers <a href="http://assemblepapers.com.au/2015/09/25/otherworldly-architecture-amanda-levete/">explored the MPavilion design</a> recently, with excerpts from their article below.

<blockquote>
The roof of AL_A’s pavilion will be comprised of vanishingly thin, translucent petals up to five metres in diameter but only three millimetres thick. Slender 40mm wide columns, made from carbon fibre tubes developed for camera tripods, will form the supports.

At night, hidden LEDs will light the petals from within. To build this dramatically dematerialised structure, AL_A is working collaboratively with mouldCAM, a marine fabrication specialist, and the Australian office of engineering firm ARUP. Together, the team has developed a composite that combines a clear resin used for surfboards with carbon fibre strands, to achieve both translucency, and the flexibility and strength needed for the petals’ five metre spans.
<cite>Assemble Papers</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image76_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="AL_A's preliminary images for MPavilion"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="259" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image76_0.jpg?itok=Y2Fec8us" title="AL_A's preliminary images for MPavilion" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>AL_A's preliminary images for MPavilion</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
MPavilion will be a strange hybrid of high technology and organic form. It too, will prompt curiosity, drawing attention to both itself and an otherwise oft-overlooked part of the city, in this case Victoria Gardens.

In service of the idea of the pavilion as a tree canopy, or as a building that responds dynamically to the climate, though, AL_A has made a brave move: the pavilion will have no walls. Given Melbourne’s fickle weather, this commitment to conceptual purity is risky.
<cite>Assemble Papers</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>The architect says</h2>

<blockquote>
The brief is a great opportunity to design a structure that responds to the climate and the landscape. I wanted to exploit the temporary nature of the pavilion form and produce a design that speaks in response to the weather. Rooting the pavilion in its parkland setting, I looked to create the sensation of a forest canopy in the heart of the city that gives shelter to a program of events.

At AL_A, we have a long history of working with boat builders, and Australia has some of the finest. We’re working with a nautical fabricator to employ the boundary-pushing technology of composite materials to create the canopy, which is made up of a number of seemingly fragile, translucent petals supported by impossibly slender columns that gently sway in the breeze.
<cite>Amanda Levete: mpavilion.org</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>A catalyst for collaboration</h2>

MPavilion will act as an events hub that will host dozens of public events from today October 5th through to 7th February 2016. A variety of workshops, talks and installations will occur over the this four month period.

Most interesting is the event titled <a href="http://www.mpavilion.org/program/high-density-happiness-building-communities">high-density happiness: building communities</a> set for Wednesday 14th October at 6pm. Featuring Neometro's James Tutton and Dumbo Feather's Madeline Lucas, the conversation will principally explore "Urban social initiatives that encourage collective ownership of inner-city communities".

A <a href="http://www.mpavilion.org/program">full events guide</a> for the 2015/2016 MPavilion is available.
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Melbourne's MPavilion is launched today

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Over the summer months, Melbourne has been a treasure chest of extraordinary architectural experiences. In case you missed them over the break, here is a three pack of summer specials.

<h2>MPavilion, by Sean Godsell</h2>

Situated in within one of Melbourne’s much celebrated public gardens, the MPavilion was an activity hub for discussions, performances and of course, coffee consumption. The MPavilion, designed by Architect Sean Godsell, is very much in keeping with his design ethos. Refined, distilled and precise, the pavilion is cool and calculating, robust yet light.

For an excellent review of the MPavilion, check out <a href="http://thedesignfiles.net/2014/10/mpavilion/">Stuart Harrison’s piece</a> for the Design Files.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image34_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="MPavilion"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="838" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image34_0.jpg?itok=QeGLD2HI" title="MPavilion" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>MPavilion</figcaption></figure>This particular MPavilion is the first of four temporary bespoke structures which will be designed and built for a particular summer season. A substantial thank you must be given to the <a href="http://www.mpavilion.org/naomi-milgrom-foundation">Naomi Milgrom Foundation</a> who will fund these four projects. This bold financial commitment, really highlights Melbourne’s excellent design and architecture culture.

<h2>Reflection Model: Shinto Shrine of Itsukushima, by Takahiro Iwasaki</h2>

For an architectural model to be a full art exhibit in and of itself, it must be something spectacular. This is clearly the case for Takahrio Iwasaki’s Reflection Model of the Shinto Shrine of Itsukushima. This is the third and largest piece in the series of reflection models which explore the relationship between the building and the reflecting water. The scale and level of detail in this piece is extraordinary. Given the free admission price at the National Gallery of Victoria (International) it is very much a must see.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image30_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Shinto Shrine of Itsukushima"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="467" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image30_0.jpg?itok=qFBRBH4W" title="Shinto Shrine of Itsukushima" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Shinto Shrine of Itsukushima</figcaption></figure>The Reflection Model is open to the public at NGV International within the Asian Art Temporary Exhibitions until April 6 2015.

<h2>Exxopolis, By Architects Of Air</h2>

This piece of temporary architecture, known as a luminarium, is really something that has to be experienced rather than described. It is an inflatable maze of geometric chambers which completely immerses the occupant in an environment of pure and vibrant colours. Inspired by Gothic and Islamic Architecture, Exxopolis is one of twenty different luminaria produced by <a href="http://www.architects-of-air.com/">Architects of Air</a>.

This experience was in someways similar to the enveloping experience of the current <a href="http://www.nga.gov.au/jamesturrell/">James Turrell</a> exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, albeit less refined and more whimsical. This whimsy and vibrancy however makes it particularly popular with young children.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image33.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Exxopolis "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1225" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image33.jpg?itok=ILIJ_2jW" title="Exxopolis " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Exxopolis</figcaption></figure>Melbourne has become a remarkable design city in recent years. When we think of this culture we naturally think of our permanent landmarks. Sometimes however the temporary can be even more breathtaking. They feed into the idea of Melbourne as an events hub whilst providing sustenance for deep thought, or a backdrop for summer fun.

Michael Smith is Director of Melbourne architecture firm Atelier Red + Black. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theredandblackarchitect.wordpress.com">The Red and Black Architect blog</a>.
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