Acclaimed Indian architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai has been awarded the commission for the third annual MPavilion to open in October.

The announcement came from The Naomi Milgrom Foundation (NMF) following the closure of MPavilion 2015 on Sunday 7 February. MPavilion 2015 was a resounding success having welcomed more than 76,000 visitors attending 419 free events hosted over four months within the temporary architecture pavilion designed by award-winning British architect Amanda Levete of London-based studio AL_A.

Naomi Milgrom AO, Chair of NMF commissioned Bijoy Jain to design the 2016 MPavilion and says he is one of the world’s most fascinating architects.

“His approach to design reflects a deep concern for craft, sustainability and community,” she says.

“Studio Mumbai’s work inspires us all to reconsider the way we design and continues MPavilion’s interest in collaboration and global connectedness.”

Founder of Studio Mumbai, Jain is renowned for his ability to develop projects through careful consideration of place and practice, drawing on traditional skills, local building techniques and materials and an ingenuity arising from limited resources.

His work has been presented at the XII Venice Biennale and Victoria & Albert Museum and recently was awarded the Grande Medaille d’Or from the Academie D’Architecture in Paris (2014).

Renowned projects from Studio Mumbai include Copper House II, Palmyra House, Ahmedabad House and Saat Rasta.

Jain says that he was honoured to receive the 2016 MPavilion commission and that he endeavours to create a space for engagement and discovery.

“I want it to be a symbol of the elemental nature of communal structures,” he explains.

“Like Naomi, I see MPavilion as a place of engagement: a space to discover the essentials of the world - and of oneself.”

MPavilion 2016 will be presented free to the public from 5 October 2016 until 5 February 2017. For further details please visit www.mpavilion.org.

THE SUCCESS OF MPAVILION 2015 (courtesy of NMF)

Photography by John Gollings.

Continuing its strong collaborative approach, MPavilion 2015 worked with more than 342 cultural institutions, architects, artists, musicians, dancers, choreographers, scientists and designers to develop the four-month free cultural program and contributed to numerous festivals and public events. The design of MPavilion 2015 was also developed in collaboration with Australian specialist mouldCAM using hi-tech nautical engineering to create a series of three- and five-metre wide petals –made out of ultra-thin translucent composite and carbon fibre which created the sensation of a glowing forest canopy in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens.

The MPavilion 2015 presented 40 talks and public lectures; 52 music performances; 60 public workshops; and 53 educational events focused on contemporary design and architecture. Events were spread across a number of themes including the architecture of wellness, transformation and experimental design.

In summary:

419 free events and 76,000 visitors
342 collaborators
21 international guests including Amanda Levete, Martin Roth, Ben Evans, Gilbert & George, Tom Bloxham, Dr. Stephanie Rosenthal, Xavier LeRoy, Natalie Jeremijenko and Mami Kataoka
Named 1 of 15 installations that capture the global imagination by Wallpaper*
Named in the Top 10 temporary structures worldwide by Designboom

Initiated in 2014, MPavilion is a unique architectural commission and design event made possible through the vision of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation–initiated by Australian philanthropist Naomi Milgrom AO–working closely with private, public and corporate partners. MPavilion is a philanthropic success story that has seen government, business and private sectors collaborate to bring an important new creative project to Melbourne, benefiting the state’s design, construction, tourism and hospitality industries. MPavilion has received the generous support of the Victoria State Government and the City of Melbourne since 2014.

Nathan Johnson

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