Thirty-six concrete columns stand tall in an area adjoining the Jerrabomberra Wetlands on Dairy Road, Canberra, with the ‘pavilion’ inviting people to come and activate the space as they see fit.

Located in an area with an industrial history, the new landmark, dubbed LESS, is designed by Chilean architectural practice Pezo von Ellrichshausen for Molonglo, with the developer intending it to be a non-commercial public space with no defined use; a place to encourage contemplation.

A circular ramp leads up to a viewing platform. Referencing the wetlands, the pavilion is populated with 6,000 individual plants of over 50 different plant species, many of which are endemic to this area.

“A continuous and shallow stream will run through and down the structure’s columns, pooling, running and returning,” Molonglo stated.

“As the plants grow, the site will evolve from its recent concrete and industrial history to a botanical landscape that closer resembles its pre-colonial ancestor. This landscape will change with each season, of which there are six according to the local Ngunnawal calendar, slowly becoming more immersive and, perhaps one day, equal to the structure that supports it.”

‘A pavilion without a name’ is how the architects describe LESS – an idiosyncratic place that refuses to be even called a pavilion. The basic form follows a square plan with a 2:3 ratio in elevation, and spread across 330 square metres of space. Within this format, there seems to be a single element repeated without hierarchies, they explained.

“In its monotonous gesture, in its tedious regularity as much as in its lack of direction, bold columns and slender pillars erode any other function than that of framing every other function. Many events are allowed in unlabelled places,” the studio stated.

The project was completed in 2021.

Images: Rory Gardiner

Architecture & Design Team

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