Monash University named the new home of MPavilion
Monash University’s Clayton campus has today been announced the permanent home of MPavilion 2017, a creative incubator designed by world-leading architects Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten.
A collaborative project between the City of Melbourne, Naomi Milgrom Foundation and renowned architecture firm the Office of Metropolitan Architects (OMA), the space is a leading example of dynamic architecture where creative minds can foster new ideas.
The new location offers synergies with other recent campus developments and reflects the University’s ambition to place learning on show.
“MPavilion is an exciting addition to the diverse array of performance, teaching and learning spaces available at Monash. As a unique space for activities and events, it will provide an invaluable asset for the benefit of the surrounding community,” said Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner AO.
The move follows a successful run for MPavilion at its temporary site in the Queen Victoria Gardens, which saw the summer season extended due to popular demand. It welcomed over 117,000 visitors and 477 free events over 133 days, engaging more than 550 collaborators including cultural institutions, architects, artists, musicians, dancers, choreographers, scientists, designers and more.
The relocation has been labelled a ‘gift to the people’, as the hub settles into permanent residency in Melbourne’s South East.
“[I]t will continue to be a dynamic incubator, where ideas about architecture, design and creativity are encouraged and nurtured,” said Naomi Milgrom AO, founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation responsible for the public/private partnership.
OMA’s MPavilion 2017 is a single storey, contemporary, flexible, sheltered amphitheatre, with a focus on participatory design. It is located at the front entrance of the Clayton campus, near the new Learning and Teaching Building and close to public transport and parking.
Of the location, Koolhaas and Gianotten commented: “We are pleased that OMA’s MPavilion 2017 will be relocated to one of Melbourne’s universities; places of knowledge and debate. MPavilion will engage and support the development of Monash University and the City of Melbourne. We look forward to seeing it in its exciting new context.”
About MPavilion
MPavilion is Australia’s leading architecture commission and design event. It is made possible through the vision of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation and Australian philanthropist Naomi Milgrom AO, and is supported by major partners City of Melbourne, the Victorian State Government through Creative Victoria, and ANZ. MPavilion has received over 351,000 visitors since its inception in 2014.
As part of the foundation’s ‘Architecture in the City’ strategy, each MPavilion has been gifted to the city following its season in the Queen Victoria Gardens. MPavilion 2014, designed by Australian architect Sean Godsell, permanently resides in the gardens of the Hellenic Museum; MPavilion 2015, designed by British architect Amanda Levete of AL_A, is located at a park on Collins Street, Docklands; and MPavilion 2016, designed by Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai, India is now in Melbourne Zoo.
Cover image by Aspect Studios.