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The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has announced that the sixth edition of the MPavilion will be designed by Australian architect Glenn Murcutt.
The internationally-acclaimed Australian architect, known for an environmentally sensitive and sustainable approach, will be the second Australian architect to design an MPavilion, following Sean Godsell’s 2014 design.
Designed yearly by an architect, the MPavilion is located at Queen Victoria Gardens, in the centre of Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct.
Other notable architects selected to design the MPavillion include Amanda Levete in 2015, Bijoy Jain in 2016, Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten in 2017 and Spaniard Carme Pinos last year.
In addition to receiving architecture’s equivalent of a Nobel, the Pritzker Prize in 2002, Murcutt has been awarded the Alvar Aalto Medal as well as the Gold Medals of both the Australian Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Architects.
Among his most significant recent projects is the Australian Islamic Centre Newport, the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre, the Simpson-Lee House, and the Marie Short House.
“Quintessentially Australian and ahead of his time, Glenn’s thoughtfulness about people, place making and the environment continues to inspire us all,” Naomi Milgrom Foundation founder Naomi Milgrom said.
“He’s been at the forefront of contemporary architecture for decades with groundbreaking designs that are sensitive to landscape and cross-cultural collaboration.”
Murcutt has fostered a strong understanding of Indigenous practices and cultures which are relayed through his designs, which are said to “touch the earth lightly”, blending modernist sensibility, local craftsmanship, Indigenous structures, and a respect for nature.
“MPavilion is an interesting and assiduous project, and I’m honored to be commissioned,” Murcutt said.
“My buildings are a result of where I’m living—not trying to design an Australian architecture, but trying to design an architecture of where I am.”
The initiative, originally funded by the foundation the City of Melbourne and the State Government of Victoria, has since received backing from ANZ.
Last year, the a temporary structure and cultural event space played host to 520 free events and attracted more than 130,000 visitors.
Murcutt's MPavilion will open in the Queen Victoria Gardens, Southbank Arts Precinct November 12, replacing Carme Pinos' design.
The venue will be open for a free four-month season of events.
