Last week, Netherlands-based OMA—known for building impressive structures around the world—was announced as the newest firm to design the third iteration of the MPavilion in Melbourne, Australia. Funded by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports public architecture and design projects, and the City of Melbourne, the annual project invites architects from around the world to create a temporary pavilion in the city’s Queen Victoria Gardens. The structure serves as a community hub that hosts free talks, concerts, performances, and workshops from October into February. Rem Koolhaas, Hon. FAIA, founder of OMA, and David Gianotten, managing partner-architect of the firm will head the design process of the new MPavilion.
Last year’s design, by Indian architect Bijoy Jain and his firm Studio Mumbai, officially closed Feb. 18 after hosting 487 free events and accommodating more than 94,000 visitors over nearly five months. The 39-foot-tall structure focused on the importance of culture in human interactions and was made of bamboo, rope, a mixture of cow dung and earth, and white lime plaster.
Details on what the theme and aesthetic of the new pavilion have not yet been released. The 2017 MPavilion is set to be OMA’s first structure designed and built on the Australian continent. Watch the video below to listen to Koolhaas and Gianotten briefly discuss their past designs and how they might affect the concept for the new structure.
