Two months after being named the designer of the prestigious annual MPavilion commission in Melbourne, Australia, Thailand-based practice all(zone) has revealed an experimental concept featuring a mixture of materials and forms they claim are previously unseen in the country's architectural history.

The ninth edition of the pavilion will be displayed prominently in Melbourne's historic Queen Victoria Gardens and query audiences to “think more deeply about different ways of using materials in a sustainable future,” according to a new project announcement.

By incorporating layers of colorful netting and a waterproof mesh membrane produced by the French manufacturer Serge Ferrari, the pavilion’s presence expands on the commission’s legacy of producing cultural incubators that form the basis for critical exchange in the marketplace of ideas. AECOM and the specialist engineering consultancy TENSYS are now working with all(zone) on a construction process that will reportedly require “pushing the limits of the physically and technologically possible.” 

Back in May, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, which oversees the commission, commended the female-led practice for its “playful” approach to design, which has to date produced rather superlative projects in their native country and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. 

all(zone) founder and incoming Louis I. Kahn Assistant Visiting Professor at the Yale School of Architecture Rachaporn Choochuey said: “After being confined for such a long time, we began the project with the idea of celebrating ‘outdoor living.’ We visualized rays of light flickering through layers of leaves that give a very relaxing ambience — like being under a big tree.”

“We wanted MPavilion to be a place where people could meet, enjoy and live in the moment freely,” she continued, speaking to the need for more social discourse. “In a world where we increasingly encounter a shortage of resources and ever-changing social conditions, the lifespan of architecture in relation to its materiality should be reinvestigated. The intent of our design for MPavilion is to explore the potential of architecture to embrace a lighter and more casual spirit, and become even more sustainable and engaging.”

The commission will be officially opened to the public on November 17th and is set to be re-installed at a yet-undetermined location elsewhere in the city at the close of the season.