YOU'RE BROWSING THE MPAVILION 2014 SITE,
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Visit

Photo by Earl Carter.

MPavilion is a unique architecture commission and design event for Melbourne, initiated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation with support from City of Melbourne and the Victorian State Government.

Every year for four years an outstanding architect will be commissioned to design a temporary pavilion for the Queen Victoria Gardens, in the centre of the vibrant Southbank Arts Precinct.

It’s a new kind of clubhouse—a meeting place and a starting point from which to explore a free four-month program of talks, workshops, performances and installations from October to February.

Free admission!

MPavilion is open every day except New Year’s Day
6 October 2015 – 7 February 2016
Full program of free events >

The Kiosk

From caffeine hits to picnic kits, the Kiosk at MPavilion is bringing us the best of Melbourne this summer, thanks to Three Thousand Thieves.

The Kiosk is open every day except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
6 October 2015 – 7 February 2016
10am–4pm daily for coffee and lunch
4pm onwards for drinks at MPavilion events

Location

MPavilion is located in the Queen Victoria Gardens, opposite the Arts Centre on St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

Wominjeka (Welcome). We acknowledge the Yalukit Wilum as the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. Yalukit Wilum means ‘people of the river camp’ and is connected with the coastal land at the head of Port Phillip Bay, extending from the Werribee River to Mordialloc. The Yalukit Wilum are part of the Boon Wurrung, one of the five major language groups of the greater Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to the land, their ancestors and their elders, past, present and to the future.

See map >

Access

  • Nearest train station: Flinders Street Station
  • Nearest tram stop: Arts Centre (routes 1, 3, 3a, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67, 72)
  • By bike: MPavilion is just off the Capital City Trail. Bike hoop parking is available on St Kilda Road.
  • By car: Metered on-street parking is available on St Kilda Road. The nearest car park is located at the Arts Centre.

2014 MPavilion at Hellenic Museum

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2014 MPavilion designed by Sean Godsell Architects (now relocated to the Hellenic Museum). Photo by Earl Carter.

Sean Godsell’s MPavilion 2014 building has a new, permanent address! A gift to the City of Melbourne, the fully automated, blossoming structure lives on in the courtyard at William Street’s Hellenic Museum.

Now that MPavilion’s Queen Victoria Gardens site is home to the 2015 commission—AL_A’s forest canopy of translucent fibreglass and carbon fibre petals—architecture fans are invited to do the ‘MPavilion Walk’ between the two pavilions. Or (if you prefer to enjoy buildings without burning calories) take a tram from the gardens to La Trobe Street, and then stroll to the William Street corner. With more commissions to come—one a year—the walk will expand to four MPavilions by 2017.

Now fully reconstructed at its new home, Sean’s inaugural MPavilion is a form inspired by outback sheds and verandas, and the symmetry of classical Greek design. It has drawn attention here and overseas, winning a 2015 Australian Institute of Architects award as well as a nomination for a World Architecture News award. Describing the building’s daily opening ceremony, The Wall Street Journal said: “The pavilion’s beauty lies in its movement. Every morning, pneumatic arms lift the walls and roof, opening the space underneath.”

MPavilion 2014 opens a new chapter for the Hellenic Museum site, which harbours its own rich history. The corner played host to public cricket matches and bazaars before being earmarked as the location for Melbourne’s branch of the British Royal Mint. Constructed in 1869 and designed by architect JJ Clark, the heritage-listed building now houses the Hellenic Museum’s extensive permanent collection. MPavilion 2014 sits behind Mr Clark’s Renaissance-revival edifice, in the museum’s courtyard garden, ready to house a year-round program of exhibitions and cultural events.

If you’re planning an MPavilion Walk, remember the Hellenic Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–4pm. It’s closed 25 December to 5 January and on all public holidays except Labour Day. Happy tramping!