The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has revealed it will donate the MPavilion 2022, designed by Rachaporn Choochuey of All Zone, to RMIT University with the new home for the award-winning structure to be at the university’s Brunswick campus.
All Zone, a female-led architecture studio based in Bangkok, designed the innovative three-tiered marquee with support from Melbourne-based architecture practice, Zilka Studio; engineering consultants, Tensys; and consulting firm AECOM. The temporary structure was used as the site for more than 352 free MPavilion events across a four-month period, attracting more than 350,000 visitors.
The design team chose to work with soft materials for the layered canopy, with the intention of creating a light environment. The pavilion’s form is not symmetrical, ensuring that its appearance varies from every viewpoint. The upper layer has been composed of bright-coloured fishing nets, adding a tactile quality to the structure, the middle section uses a transparent and weather-proof roofing membrane called STFE, while the lower layer was crafted from a colourful, waffle fabric.
The pavilion’s form is not symmetrical, ensuring that its appearance differs on every approach.
Image: John Gollings
The pavilion’s new home at the campus will be strategically positioned in the heart of the central courtyard, drawing visitors in from the street.
Founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Naomi Milgrom expressed her delight at the prospect of the structure providing design students with a source of inspiration. “We hope that the pavilion’s innovative design will inspire students and visitors alike at its new permanent home. This is the seventh MPavilion gift to Victoria, and comes as we mark a decade of architectural commissions by the foundation with the opening of Pavilion 10 at the Queen Victoria Gardens on 16 November,” Milgrom said.
RMIT vice-chancellor and president, professor Alec Cameron echoed those sentiments, saying the canopy will serve not only as a motivational symbol of what can be achieved but also as a place of connection for the university community.
“MPavilion RMIT will give our students and staff a new space to come together for activities and events at our Brunswick campus, and act as a site for creative collaborations with the Merri-bek City Council and partners from the Brunswick Design District,” Cameron said.
“We are immensely grateful to Naomi Milgrom for this significant cultural gift and applaud her ongoing commitment to supporting art, design and critical discourse through the annual MPavilion program.
“RMIT is proud to have been involved in the program for many years and we look forward to MPavilion RMIT becoming another dynamic hub of creativity and conversation on campus.”
The structure has earned eight Australian and international awards and commendations. It has also been shortlisted for two accolade categories at the 2023 World Architecture Festival Awards including: Best Use of Colour and Completed Buildings – Culture.
Design director of All Zone, Rachaporn Choochuey said she is thrilled to hear the pavilion will be relocated to the university, which is “recognized globally for its focus on technology, design and enterprise,” she said. “We hope our pavilion will act as a catalyst for future students to explore and test new innovations in sustainable architecture and design.”
