Revealed: Glenn Murcutt AO to design MPavilion 2019

Glenn Murcutt AO. Photo by Anthony Browell.

We’re incredibly excited to share the news that Glenn Murcutt AO, Australia’s most internationally recognised architect, is our esteemed designer of MPavilion 2019! Glenn is the only Australian architect to receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize, awarded for his environmentally sensitive and responsible designs with a distinctly Australian character. He has also received the Alvar Aalto Medal, the Australian Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medals and is highly regarded around the world as a teacher and commentator.

MPavilion 2019—an initiative of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation—will open in the Queen Victoria Gardens, Southbank Arts Precinct, in November 2019.

Watch Glenn speak about his MPavilion 2019 commission below and read more about Glenn on our architect page.

A sole practitioner since 1969, remaining dedicated to a patient and refined approach to architecture, Glenn’s most significant works include the Australian Islamic Centre in Newport, Victoria, undertaken in collaboration with architect Hakan Elevli; the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre at Riversdale, New South Wales, designed with architects Wendy Lewin and Reg Lark; the Simpson-Lee House, Mount Wilson, New South Wales, and the Marie Short House, North Coast, New South Wales.

Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre, Riversdale (1996–99). Photo by Anthony Browell.

Naomi Milgrom AO, founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, said about the commission:

“I’m thrilled to be working with Glenn Murcutt. He’s been at the forefront of contemporary architecture for decades with groundbreaking designs that are sensitive to landscape and cross-cultural collaboration. Quintessentially Australian and ahead of his time, Glenn’s thoughtfulness about people, place making and the environment continues to inspire us all.”

Australian Islamic Centre, Newport (2006–16). Photo by Anthony Browell.

Glenn Murcutt commented on his commission for MPavilion 2019:

“It’s extraordinary what Naomi has achieved with MPavilion. She’s one of the great people in this country for supporting the arts, and more than just art but architecture, with a special understanding of city life. MPavilion is an interesting and assiduous project, and I’m honoured to be commissioned.”

Glenn Murcutt AO with Naomi Milgrom AO, chair of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, which commission’s each year’s MPavilion. Photo by John Betts.

Glenn’s architectural motto derives from his education in Indigenous practices and cultures: “Touch the earth lightly.” Responding directly to the elements of the Australian landscape through his designs and thoughtful use of materials, Glenn’s practice is a harmonious blend of modernist sensibility, local craftsmanship, Indigenous structures, and his respect for nature. “My buildings are a result of where I’m living—not trying to design an Australian architecture, but trying to design an architecture of where I am,” he has said.

Marie Short House near Kempsey (1974–75). Photo by Anthony Browell.

MPavilion 2019 will open in the Queen Victoria Gardens, Southbank Arts Precinct, on 12 November 2019 and will become the venue for a free four-month season of events. MPavilion is an initiative of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation in partnership with City of Melbourne, State Government of Victoria through Creative Victoria, and ANZ.

 

Wominjeka (Welcome). We acknowledge the Yaluk-ut Weelam as the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. Yaluk-ut Weelam means ‘people of the river camp’ and is connected with the coastal land at the head of Port Phillip Bay, extending from the Werribee River to Mordialloc. The Yaluk-ut Weelam are part of the Boon Wurrung, one of the five major language groups of the greater Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to the land, their ancestors and their elders—past, present and to the future.