MPavilion 2022

Another courageous installation for the Melbourne design community

MPavilion is on to its ninth collaboration as one of Australia’s most pivotal events on the design calendar - an architectural and cultural laboratory where the community unites to engage and share.

Gaining global notoriety, a different international designer is engaged each year, bringing with them experimentation of new techniques and materials that push the envelope for urban spaces.

This year, all(zone) — a female-led design practice based in Bangkok, Thailand — has conjured up a bold and playful design incorporating a steel structure with a canopy of multiple engineered fabrics.

All(zones) vision for this canopy design was to ‘celebrate outdoor living’.  And as we approach some warmer weather with the confinements of lockdown now a distant memory, MPavilion is set to offer a space where people can come together and be inspired.

Architecture should perform with its minimum form while offering connections to the dynamic movement of nature — like being under a big tree with relaxing rays of light flickering through the layers of leaves,

Rachaporn Choochuey, Lead Designer all(zone), Bangkok

Collaborating with experts from around the world

Our team project managed the entire bespoke structure, working remotely with the all(zone) designers from Bangkok - represented locally by architect, Leanne Zilka of Zilka Studio – and the local engineers, Tensys and AECOM.

Once the design was submitted, our project engineer then turned the concept into workable shopfloor drawings for our machinery and that of our suppliers to interpret accurately. The result was 700 individual drawings and over 1,000 unique pieces that make up this mammoth structure.

Heavy-duty prefabricated steel components were welded and fitted in our manufacturing facility with structural welders working around the clock to ensure every piece was made to precision with only a 2mm tolerance permitted. We then erected and tested the structure in the factory before disassembling and transporting it for on-site assembly.

We know from past experience that our build partner is fundamental. One thing that led us to working with Schiavello Construction is their sensitivity to that fine finesse. Backed by that is their substance - their sophisticated high-tech factory in Tullamarine.

Sam Redston, CEO MPavilion

Experimental fabrics held together by a complex understructure

With each MPavilion more daring than the next, as you will see from MPavilion 2021, for this year's structure an array of experimental materials were called upon to achieve the aesthetic and functional outcomes of this design, all held in place by custom-made extrusions on a sturdy canopy steel frame.

The outer layer features a custom heavy-duty fishnet draped over an STFE clear membrane in the middle that is both lightweight and transparent but most importantly shields the space from glare and the Melbourne rain. Topping it off, the most distinctive material comes in the form of an Australian-first engineered mesh from France that was then hand-sewn locally resulting in a multi-shaded waffle effect that glistens in the sun and lights up at night. Together they work in harmony, a celebration of the uniquely beautiful Thai design.