MPavilion 10, by Tadao Ando – ADC

Sat within verdant greenery of Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens, the concrete extrusions the MPavilion 10 is every bit an Ando building – his first to be built in Australia. Walls 2.25 metres high ensconce a reflective pool and an aluminium clad disc canopy, of which is 14.4 metres in diameter and perched atop a central concrete column, with these elements working in sync to instil the tranquil qualities of a traditional Japanese walled garden.

Along the north- and south-facing walls, a 17-metre-long opening frames views of the downtown Melbourne skyline and the surrounding parklands, while the clouds and sky above are reflected in the pool which fills half of the space within, bringing a curated selection of the pavilion’s surroundings inside its concrete confines. A precast concrete bench runs the full length of the southern wall, positioned for visitors to sit and look across the reflective pool and through the opening to views of the gardens and the Melbourne city beyond.

In plan, the pavilion appears as a fragment plucked from a Kandinsky painting: immaculately geometric, comprising a central, circular canopy and two squares which have been offset to create two openings on either side.

MPavilion 10 will, like its predecessors, be used to host a wide variety of cultural programming, with it due to be the venue for more than 150 free events currently planned.

“I am honoured to have completed my first project in Australia, and to have created a piece of living architecture that will have such an important role in the cultural life of Melbourne this summer,” said Tadao Ando in a statement. “I hope that as people visit, they allow this space to enter their hearts, and allow their senses to tune into the light and breeze interacting with them and this space. I hope for them an experience of harmony with nature, with themselves, and with others.”