MPavilion is Australia’s leading architectural commission. Annually, a pavilion is designed in Melbourne that hosts a free summer festival of events.
The architects envisioned MPavilion 2022 as a light, vibrant fabric-based canopy that encourages communal gathering. The sustainable, human-centred design upholds the philosophy of ‘living lightly’ through an innovative three-layered marquee that explores the potential of tensile architecture. The uppermost layer is a bright, tactile fishing net. The middle layer is crafted from a weather-proof STFE membrane never before used in Australia. The lowermost layer comprises a waffle of colourful fabric that moves with the breeze creating dappled light. This complex form is supported by a solid steel structure.
MPavilion 2022’s inventive employment of experimental tensile, fabric-based construction tests the boundaries of traditional architecture to provide a sophisticated solution that uses considerably less material than traditional building practices. A conceptually and ethically anchored design with people at its heart, MPavilion 2022 brings people together under its joyous canopy to celebrate Melbourne’s creative and cultural life.
