MELBOURNE.- MPavilion opened its milestone MPavilion 10, designed by internationally renowned, Pritzker Prize-winner Tadao Ando, in Queen Victoria Gardens on 16 November. Ando’s design for MPavilion 10—his first ever project in Australia—reflects his signature use of striking geometric interventions in nature and his precise, assured use of concrete. The opening kicks off the five-month design festival of public programming offering over 150 events. Every event is free. MPavilion, which first began in 2014, has grown to become one of Australia’s most visited and impactful festivals, attracting more than 350,000 people during its ninth season.
"There is a magic moment each season when an architectural vision becomes built reality, and when we welcome the public who gets to engage directly with the innovative space created by inspired architects,” said Naomi Milgrom AC, MPavilion Commissioner. “Tadao Ando has designed a new, iconic destination in Melbourne, one that will serve as both a contemplative spot, a temporary refuge from the bustle of the city, and as a dynamic site for creative discovery and vigorous discussion for those attending our public program.”
Positioned within Melbourne’s cultural and botanic garden precinct, MPavilion 10 offers a memorable structure that is in dialogue with the park setting to create a space in harmony with nature. MPavilion 10 features a large canopy, a 14.4-metre aluminum-clad disc resting on a central concrete column. Two offset squares create two entrances that lead to the centre of the pavilion. Concrete walls of varying lengths partially enclose the space to create a tranquil sanctuary reminiscent of a traditional Japanese walled garden. A long (almost 17 metre x .225 metre) horizontal opening running both the length of the north and south walls frames views of downtown Melbourne and the parklands, connecting the city and lush greenery of Queen Victoria Gardens to MPavilion 10's interior. The geometric forms and symmetry are reinforced by an internal arrangement that is half paved, and half reflecting pool, which mirrors the pavilion canopy, sky, city, and surrounding nature.
“I am honoured to have completed my first project in Australia, and to have created a piece of living architecture that will have such an important role in the cultural life of Melbourne this summer,” said Tadao Ando, architect of MPavilion 10. “I hope that as people visit, they allow this space to enter their hearts, and allow their senses to tune into the light and breeze interacting with them and this space. I hope for them an experience of harmony with nature, with themselves, and with others.”
Inside the pavilion, Brazilian artist João Loureiro introduces MPavilion visitors to the taste sensation of grey ice cream through his art installation Escala de Cinzas (Greyscale), made locally in collaboration with Piccolina Gelateria to perfectly mirror the pavilion’s aesthetic.
Born 1941 in Osaka, Japan. Self-taught in architecture. Established Tadao Ando Architect & Associates in 1969. Major works include the Church of the Light, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, and Chichu Art Museum. Awarded the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) Annual Prize for the Row House in Sumiyoshi in 1979, Japan Art Academy Prize in 1993, Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, Person of Cultural Merit (Japan) in 2003, International Union of Architects (UIA) Gold Medal in 2005, The Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts Gold Medal in the Arts in 2010, Shimpei Goto Award in 2010, Order of Culture (Japan) in 2010, Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France) in 2013, Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Italy) in 2015, and Isamu Noguchi Award in 2016. Held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1991 and Centre Pompidou in 1993. Taught as a visiting professor at Yale University, Columbia University, and Harvard University. Professor at the University of Tokyo from 1997. Professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo since 2003.
