MPavilion 2022—all(zone)
MPavilion 2022—all(zone)
MPavilion is an ongoing initiative of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, supported by City of Melbourne and State Government of Victoria, through Creative Victoria. Every year the Naomi Milgrom Foundation commissions an outstanding architect to design a temporary pavilion for the Queen Victoria Gardens, in the centre of Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct, which are then gifted to the state of Victoria.
In 2022, MPavilion welcomed Bangkok-based architecture and design practice, all(zone) as its designer.
Led by co-founder and design director Rachaporn Choochuey, all(zone)—an architecture, urbanism and design practice based in Bangkok, Thailand—is known for its playful projects which reuse and recycle local materials in bold and innovative ways. Committed to designing built environments where people can feel at home in the world, Rachaporn and her team view the spaces they are creating not just as physical architecture but as platforms for people to convene, converse and celebrate.
Experimenting with materials and forms being used for the first time in Australia, all(zone) has designed a unique and stimulating space for people to interact with MPavilion’s thought-provoking and diverse program for its ninth season as a pivotal part of the city’s cultural calendar.
“After being confined for such a long time, we began the project with the idea of celebrating ‘outdoor living’. We visualised rays of light flickering through layers of leaves that give a very relaxing ambience—like being under a big tree. We wanted MPavilion to be a place where people could meet, enjoy and live in the moment freely.” — Rachaporn Choochuey
Render of MPavilion 2022 by all(zone)
Designed to celebrate being outdoors, the vibrant, textural MPavilion’s standout feature is its ingenious canopy—comprising three layers that explore the potential of fabric and tensile architecture at every step.
The outermost layer is built from fishing nets, giving the structure a stunning tactile texture that defines the MPavilion’s profile from afar. The middle layer is crafted from a cutting-edge STFE membrane supplied by French manufacturer Serge Ferrari. As transparent as glass but 10 times lighter, this polyarylate mesh reduces glare and keeps the MPavilion weatherproof. It’s the first time STFE technology has been used in Australia.
The bottom layer features a waffle of coloured fabric, made up of 48 individual sections, that move with the breeze and filter light, evoking the feeling of gently resting under trees.
