Renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando has been selected for this year's MPavilion 10, with an opening ceremony held on 16th November, 2023. MPavilion was initiated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation in 2014 to design a meeting space for the Queen Victoria Gardens in Melbourne. Each year, the Foundation invites outstanding architects from Australia and other countries to design meeting spaces that host free art and design events over a five-month period.
In this year's installment, Tadao Ando is one of Japan's leading contemporary architects and has received numerous awards, including the Pritzker Prize (1995), the Nobel Prize in architecture. Ando has contributed extensively to social activities not only in Osaka but also outside of Japan, including the planting of cherry blossom trees and the construction of a children's library in Osaka City, where he was born and raised. His architecture, of course, but also his personality and way of thinking fascinate people. Ando's MPavilion is finished in his signature style, beautifully designed geometric shapes and concrete using highly skilled techniques.
The moment you step into this space, a calmness swallows you, your instantly struck by a sense of tranquillity that disorientates you slightly because you forget you are right next to the inner city. Through the parallel gaps in the concrete, the natural light and wind seeps into its corners and spreads throughout the space. This gives the sense that he follows his intention to create a landscape that will remain as a memory in peoples hearts forever.
This will be Ando's first time working in Australia and I am delighted to see his architecture here in Melbourne. There are also a number of free events over the next five months based on themes inspired by Ando's work. Come visit this place and you won't be disappointed!
-------
今年10回目となるMPavilionに日本の有名建築家安藤忠雄が選ばれ、11月16日にはオープニングセレモニーが行われました。
MPavilionは2014年、the Naomi Milgrom FoundationによりメルボルンにあるQueen Victoria Gardensのミーティングスペースをデザインするために始まりました。毎年オーストラリア国内外から素晴らしい建築家によってミーティングスペースをデザインされ、5ヶ月間にわたりアートやデザインの無料イベントが催されます。
安藤忠雄は日本の現代建築家の1人であり、建築界のノーベル賞とも称されるプリツカー賞(1995年)をはじめ数多くの賞を受賞してきました。彼が生まれ育った大阪市に桜の木を植樹したり子供の図書館を建設したりと大阪市だけではなく日本国外で社会活動にも広く貢献しています。彼の建築はもちろん、彼の人柄や考え方には人々を魅了するものがあります。
安藤忠雄にとって初めてのオーストラリアでの仕事となりますが、ここメルボルンで彼の建築を見ることができるのは嬉しく思います。彼の建築にインスパイアされたテーマに沿って、5ヶ月間無料のイベントがたくさんあるのも魅力的です。ぜひ一度訪れてみてはいかがでしょうか。
-------
Author : Sayuri Yoshida