It had a date with the wrecker’s ball,but public enthusiasm and a coalition of prominent Melburnians have stopped the dismantling of the MPavilion,the squat concrete bunker in Queen Victoria Gardens.
MPavilion 10 will not repeat the fate of its predecessors,with renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando’s alliance of concrete,aluminium,air and water to now remain in place until mid-2025 rather than being broken up and part of it relocated,thanks to a vote by City of Melbourne councillors on Tuesday night.
MPavilion at the Queen Victoria Gardens proved a hit with the public.John Gollings
The MPavilion series is an initiative of Naomi Milgrom,the philanthropist,public design aficionado and owner of Sportsgirl and Sussan retail chains,through her foundation in partnership with the City of Melbourne.
“Being able to experience the work of one of the world’s greatest living architects nestled within one of Melbourne’s most picturesque parks is a truly rare and unique treat. Its significance to architecture students,builders,engineers,and designers is immeasurable,” Milgrom toldThe Age.
“Given Ando’s advanced years,it’s probable that this will be the only example of Ando’s work in Australia and the southern hemisphere.”
Some architects wanted the building prolonged because of the reputation of Ando,who has won a Pritzker Prize,became known as the “concrete Picasso” for his work with that medium,and had never worked in Australia before.
Rick Kwasek,the City of Melbourne’s general manager of infrastructure and amenity,said in a council report that the design was “an iconic piece of architecture and a challenging urban intervention”.
The project attracted support from people as diverse as Victorian Government Architect Jill Garner,garden designer Paul Bangay,chef Andrew McConnell,ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott and Sir Nicholas Serota,chair of Arts Council England.
Naomi Milgrom in MPavilion 10 in the Queen Victoria Gardens.Marie-Luise Skibbe
Ando said in a submission supporting the work’s extension:“Architecture must always be an act that stimulates the existing environment and presents society with new questions. I think Naomi Milgrom understands this.
“For MPavilion,I have imagined an architecture that serves as a counterpoint to the lively character of modern life in Melbourne and the site in the Queen Victoria Gardens.”
But a report to the council said the design was “not consistent with best practice gender equity place principles”,expressed concern about the site’s vulnerability to graffiti and worried about the ornamental pool’s water safety issues,which it said were “low risk”.
Under a previous agreement,the council contributed $300,000 annually towards the design and installation,while the foundation would pay for the dismantling,storage and relocation,which could be as high as $250,000.
Funding arrangements for future MPavilions have not been decided,so this might be the last of the series.
Over the summer,the pavilion,which is opposite the National Gallery of Victoria,welcomed more than 150,000 visitors for concerts,talks,fashion parades and a signature grey ice cream by Brazilian artist João Loureiro,made locally in collaboration with Piccolina Gelateria.
One of the MMeets events at MPavilion 10.Supplied
The entrance to Ando’s work only became apparent when visitors closed in on the structure,but once inside,the geometric courtyard felt like a formal Japanese garden and was dominated by a 14-metre aluminium parasol resting on a central concrete column. The courtyard was paved with familiarwhich gave way to a formal reflection pool,while slits in the concrete wall – a last-minute addition – let in the greenery of the gardens.
MPavilion 10 formally closed on March 28 with a dance party after four months of collaborative programs involving 300 institutions and artists.
Seven previous buildings have been relocated across Victoria,including architect Sean Godsell’s design at the Hellenic Museum in the CBD,and architect Glenn Murcutt’s pavilion,which is now at the University of Melbourne in Carlton.
An event at the MPavilion,which will be extended until June 2025.Supplied
But MPavilion 10’s concrete walls cannot be relocated,the council said.
Milgrom said MPavilion 10 was a significant departure from previous installations which embraced the community openly.
“This one in contrast was an inward-looking design which ‘put its arms around its visitors’.
“What was unique to this MPavilion were the contemplative moments,to see many enter,instinctively pull up a stool to sit at the edge of the pool and look out through the long narrow slot to the gardens and city beyond.”
The Naomi Milgrom Foundation’s extended partnership with the City of Melbourne means the Ando MPavilion will be open daily from 10am until 3pm until November,when a new culture program inspired by Ando’s architecture will start.
“It its current form it can never ever be shown again,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said last night at the council meeting.