Project: MPavilion 2021 - The Lightcatcher
Award: Small Spaces, Silver, 2022
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Architect: MAP Studio
Client: Naomi Milgrom Foundation
MPavilion, Australia's leading architectural commission conceived and created by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, features a temporary pavilion designed by an esteemed architect. Every year the winning structure is erected in Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens. Over the summer, it hosts a program of free events, performances and installations to encourage design debate and cultural exchange.
MPavilion 2021 was dubbed The Lightcatcher thanks to its geometric and kaleidoscopic structure. The designers imagined it as an urban lighthouse, intended to illuminate and reflect the diverse and inclusive programming within and the landscape around it. The playful design comprised a three-dimensional lattice made of galvanized steel tubular profiles, which housed mirror-finish aluminium panels. The use of pre-cast components allowed for efficient and easy transfer to a new permanent home and rebuilding at the end of the season.
Design highlights
The Lightcatcher is open on all its sides and has no specific orientation, allowing complete flexibility in the way that the space is used. U-shaped concrete pillars support the lattice structure which appears to float above the bright, yellow organically-shaped surface below. A circular kiosk in a matching colour palette provides a simple hospitality offering and storage for services and AV equipment.
Photo credit: Anthony Richardson, John Gollings, Casey Horsfield
Marie-Luise Skibbe, Instant Crush
- LEAD ARCHITECTS: Traudy Pelzel & Francesco Magnani
ENGINEER: Nigel Burdon AECOM
- BUILDER: Luke Steele - Schiavello Constructions
PROJECT MANAGER: Louise Nicholson - Naomi Milgrom Foundation