Council to decide if Tadao Ando's pavilion is global artwork or expensive risk to public safety

Sydney Morning Herald

4 days ago

The MPavilion series is spearheaded by philanthropist and retail mogul Naomi Milgrom in partnership with the City of Melbourne.
Architects pitch their ideas, the winning design is built and open for a year before the structures are eventually dismantled and relocated to permanent homes across Melbourne and Victoria, such as Melbourne Zoo and universities.
Ando's pavilion is the 10th in the series and Milgrom has said it will be the last, with its stay already extended for a year longer than usual.
Many of the country's top architects have rallied around the plight of the pavilion with more than 2240 signatories on a petition calling for the council to keep Ando's structure in place permanently, including Victorian government architect Jill Garner, consul-general of Japan in Melbourne Tokuro Furuya and president-elect of the Australian Institute of Architects David Wagner.
Wagner said there was a precedent for famous buildings being constructed as temporary structures but being retained and becoming world-famous landmarks – such as Gustave Eiffel's 1889 Eiffel Tower in Paris and Sir Edwin Lutyens' 1919 Cenotaph in Whitehall in London.
'It's not in Melbourne's best interest to remove the MPavilion,' he said. 'It's a remarkable piece of architecture by an internationally renowned architect, and we're fortunate to have the custody or stewardship of such a wonderful building.'
Agenda documents for Tuesday's meeting show that council staff are concerned about the implications of allowing what was meant to be a temporary structure to remain in the heritage-listed gardens.
'Allowing the pavilion to remain for an extended period beyond the initial agreement could set a precedent for the lifespan of other temporary buildings in public spaces,' the documents state.
The council paid $300,000 in funding and $50,000 in-kind support each year for each MPavilion, with $25,000 kept as a security to be provided once the Naomi Milgrom Foundation removes the pavilion and remediates the site.
'Whilst it has significant architectural merit, the MPavilion's enclosed design and expansive concrete perimeter walls raise safety, visibility and maintenance concerns,' the agenda documents state. 'The pavilion walls preclude through-views and movements across the site – this presents potential risks of vandalism of the structure and risks to public safety.'
Agenda documents raise concerns that Ando's pavilion is climbable, its blank external walls are susceptible to tagging and graffiti and 'the design not being consistent with best-practice gender-equity place principles'.
The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has said if the five-year extension is granted, it would be responsible for all ongoing maintenance and security of the space at no cost to the council.
A foundation spokeswoman said Ando had been briefed to design a temporary structure.
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'This pavilion reflects Tadao Ando's signature use of concrete and geometric forms in dialogue with nature,' she said. 'If an extension is not granted, the pavilion will be removed from Queen Victoria Gardens. However, its removal would mean the loss of a globally significant work of architecture and a treasured civic space for Melbourne.'
Council management has recommended Ando's pavilion is given another one-year extension until June 30, 2026, and community consultation is undertaken to determine whether the MPavilion should be allowed to remain until 2030.
'I hope the pavilion has touched your hearts as well, and that it may continue to serve the community in its current location forever,' Ando said in a submission to the council.