Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten design MPavilion 2017 in Melbourne

OMA architects Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten have unveiled the first renders of the MPavilion 2017, a temporary structure for Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens. Commissioned by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation with support from the City of Melbourne and the Government of Victoria, the pavilion will open on October 3, 2017, and remain through the Australian summer until February 4, 2018. The design features a translucent canopy two meters high, made of a steel grid and translucent panels, housing all technological systems. Beneath it, two seating areas are planned: a larger static tribune carved into the gardens and concealed by twelve species of indigenous plants, and a smaller rotating tribune that can break the stage-audience hierarchy. The pavilion is conceived as a 'theatre of ideas' for public debates, workshops, music, and art events. Previous MPavilion architects include Seán Godsell (2014), Amanda Levete (2015), and Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai (2016). Naomi Milgrom, who is also the commissioner of the Australian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Art Biennale, introduced the project in a video.