The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has today announced that MPavilion 2016, designed by award-winning Indian architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai, has been gifted to the people of Melbourne and will be relocated from its temporary site at the Queen Victoria Gardens to its new home at the Melbourne Zoo in Parkville.
"Bijoy Jain's MPavilion is part of an international movement in handmade architecture encapsulating Jain's ongoing interest in traditional craftsmanship and human connectedness," said Naomi Milgrom AO, Founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. "The Melbourne Zoo occupies a special place in the heart of Melburnians and I'm thrilled that this beautiful pavilion will continue to inspire people of all ages."
Work on the installation of MPavilion 2016 at the Melbourne Zoo site has begun. Melbourne Zoo Director Kevin Tanner said the MPavilion would be incorporated into new landscaping in existing open space just off the Main Drive between the heritage carousel and the Japanese Garden.
"Melbourne Zoo is excited to receive the MPavilion by Bijoy Jain as a gift from the Naomi Milgrom Foundation," Tanner stated. "It is a spectacular architectural structure that will complement the zoo's natural environment. As one of the first carbon neutral zoos in the world, we welcome MPavilion's use of natural and sustainable materials. It fits perfectly with our conservation ethic and environmentally sustainable practices. MPavilion will become a popular gathering space for our visitors during our 155th anniversary year."
As part of the foundation's 'Architecture in the City' strategy, each previous MPavilion has been gifted to the city. MPavilion 2014, designed by Australian architect Sean Godsell, permanently resides in the gardens of the Hellenic Museum. MPavilion 2015, designed by British architect Amanda Levete of AL_A, is located at a park on Collins Street, Docklands. The commission for MPavilion 2017 has been awarded to Netherlands-based OMA and will be designed by Rem Koolhaas & David Gianotten.
Photography: John Gollings