Unique pavilion finds a Docklands home

Docklands has been gifted a unique pavilion, to be installed on the corner of Harbour Esplanade and Collins St.

The pavilion, designed by Amanda Levete, was part of the MPavilion program, which sees architects design a temporary pavilion for the Queen Victoria Gardens.

Places Victoria began installing the pavilion at its new permanent home in Docklands at the end of February.

Places Victoria precincts general manager Simon Wilson said the pavilion would be incorporated into new landscaping in the existing open space between Collins St and the multipurpose sports courts on Harbour Esplanade.

“We’re very grateful to the Naomi Milgrom Foundation and the City of Melbourne for gifting this beautiful pavilion to Docklands so it can continue to be admired and enjoyed,” he said.

“It will be a new architectural feature for the precinct, a welcome lunch spot for around 15,000 workers in the vicinity and a place to take shelter.”

The MPavilion program started in 2014 and sees a new pavilion commissioned and created each year over four years. The program was initiated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation with support from the City of Melbourne and the State Government.

Chair of the foundation Naomi Milgrom, said the pavilion would continue to inspire and be part of the city’s cultural heritage in its new permanent home.

“Amanda’s magical forest-like structure joins a growing family of architectural masterpieces to be enjoyed by the people of Melbourne for years to come,” Ms Milgrom said.

Ms Levete’s design was the 2015 MPavilion and features an “ultra-thin forest-like canopy”, which comprises a series of five-metre-wide translucent petals.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the City of Melbourne was thrilled to be working with the Naomi Milgrom Foundation and Places Victoria to provide a permanent home for the pavilion in Docklands.

“MPavilion is a unique architectural feature that will provide a wonderful drawcard for the Docklands community, both as an event space, a meeting hub and a symbol of the value of public art and urban design,” Cr Doyle said.