Glenn Murcutt, the ‘pavilion architect,’ on his MPavilion – Architecture AU
Posted: January 27, 2021 at 11:53 am
There is a stillness that comes over you inside Glenn Murcutts MPavilion. By stillness, I mean a lack of unharmonious noise, visually and acoustically, as if the architect has hit pause on the spacetime continuum, allowing you to fully take in the spectacle of Melbournes city skyline, with the greenness of the Queen Victoria Gardens in the foreground.
Among the Naomi Milgrom Foundations MPavilions, and indeed in the evolution of modern pavilions, Murcutts is unique. In Pavilion propositions, authors John Macarthur, Susan Holden, Ashley Paine and Wouter Davidts frame the pavilion through the existential question, Is architecture art?1 Indeed, many pavilions around the world are artful objects that form backdrops to cultural programs for visual arts institutions; sometimes, this creates an inherent tension between their function as event spaces and their whimsical form-making.
Murcutts pavilion, in its arresting simplicity, does not conform. While it is no less artful, the artistry lies in the coalescence of its pure architectural expression and functionalism. Nothing is there that doesnt have a purpose. As Murcutt explains, architecture is a science, and the process of design is akin to a process of scientific discovery, of observing and synthesizing omnipresent experiences through an architectonic lens.
His design for the MPavilion was born, subconsciously, out of one such experience sheltering under an aircraft wing at the edge of the Yaxchiln ruins in Mexico.
View gallery
Although Glenn Murcutt has been described as the pavilion architect, he explains that his houses are not designed with the idea of a pavilion in mind.
Image: Timothy Burgess
Glenn Murcutt: The shade from the wing had established a place in all this sunshine. We put a tablecloth down, which further established a place. We sat around it and we created not only a place but a room. And I thought: How fantastic this little wing has brought me all the way out here! It was a fabric-covered wing of a six-seater Auster aircraft.
Then I forgot about it altogether. [But] as I was designing this pavilion, I thought: My god, this is starting to be like my experience in Mexico. Here, Ive laid the tablecloth [with the paving], Ive got the wing and Im using aircraft fabric.
Linda Cheng: Youve often been described as the pavilion architect, particularly in relation to some of your houses. What does a pavilion mean to you? And what does it mean to actually design a pavilion?
GM: I read the [dictionary] definition of pavilions. Theyre essentially open structures made from poles and ropes with cloth draped over them. Now, thats very different to my houses, which are not really pavilions. But they are light in feeling. They dont feel impermanent, as such, but they look as if they could perhaps be moved and most of them can. And theyre off the ground.
But these buildings are designed not with the idea of a pavilion in mind. These buildings are designed more as instruments. Ill give you an example. When you go to a concert, youre listening to the work of a composer thats being conducted through an orchestra and you are the recipient, listening to this wonderful score.
I design buildings that are located in relation to the climatic conditions, so that in winter, they get beautiful sun penetration and in summer, they get cooling breezes. And when the breeze is accompanied by some rain, then youre going to get the smell of the forest. You can listen to the sound of the rain on a metal roof, from a beautiful pitter patter to a heavy sound to the gurgling of the water as it gets into the gutter and the throbbing of it as it goes into the water tank.
In other words Ive designed the score for the building. The nature is the orchestra and youre the conductor inside, opening up certain aspects of [the building] to perceive the landscape around you. Its an instrument; its much more than a pavilion. But it looks like a simple building.
Remember that simplicity is the other face of complexity. Im trying to achieve many environmental responses that you can perceive from a level of safety out of the rain, sometimes out of cold winds, sometimes in beautiful cooling wind. And you can adjust [the building], like sails on a yacht. If you can sail a boat, you can work my buildings. Now, thats more than a pavilion.
LC: It certainly is. Hearing you talk about the breeze, the rain, the sound of the water, the birds and the smells its quite apparent that you do a lot of observing and synthesizing
GM: Its my learning. Im a great observer. I dont learn from books. People often ask me: Is there a book thats been highly influential? Absolutely not When I left Ancher, Mortlock, Murray and Woolley [Murcutt worked at the practice from 1964 until 1969], I said I will not subscribe to a single journal because its too influential; I want to think things through in my own way. And people thought I was mad.
View gallery
Murcutt emphasizes the need to understand the discipline of other built environment professionals, such as engineers and lighting consultants, when designing a building like MPavilion.
Image: John Gollings
LC: Youve said that architecture is not created, that its there to be discovered. In observing and synthesizing, how do you know what to distil in order to discover the architecture that is there?
GM: Well, when youre nearly 84, you know what to distil and what to leave out. For me, its no different to science in scientific theory, theres a process of discovery. Its finding the essence. The design has to go through the mind with visual clarity, and a visual understanding of the spaces: how much prospect, how much refuge, how much light, what sort of materials, what sort of colours, where is the view, where is the air coming from?
When you start to analyze all these, they become what I call limiting factors. And I love limiting factors, because theyre the things that you know are right. There are certain things that are unarguable.
Take this building here [MPavilion]. Ive got a site theres no argument about that. I have a northern aspect theres no argument about that because you want shade in summer and, wherever its relocated, you need to get winter penetration as well. Thats why Ive got such a big overhang. If it was just the fabric at the end, the water would be falling off in curves. I wanted to regulate where water is coming off, which of course is like the aileron on an aircraft. And it has very much an aircraft-wing quality. I was very conscious of that.
View gallery
Flaps on the pavilions roof, shaped like the ailerons on an aircraft wing, help to regulate rain run-off.
Image: John Gollings
It was also an absolutely critical principle for me to frame the city, because its about the city. I wanted the ceiling to be convex to throw sound out each way, but also to lift the roof so you get the feel of the forest and the city. That was extremely important.
And Ive got to design a building that can be pulled down without a single loss. Even the paving would normally be lost because it would be on a concrete slab with a cement mortar bed. Theres no slab here. The pavilion sits on reinforced ground, so all that paving will come up and it can be laid in the future in its new place. Because theres no slab, you cant rely on it for bracing. So the steel cupboards at the end are connected up to the roof trusses and braced all the way through to the other side to stop the structure from twisting. So, another aspect of our work is understanding the discipline of others [other built environment professionals].
We can use the ceiling space now and install globes that bounce light up into the white roof. The sunshine coming through can bounce down through the aircraft-fabric ceiling. You can clean it, you can change the globes, the panels are all hinged and they unclip. Theyre all givens. Theres no argument. I dont know why people dont think like that.
So, distillation is knowing what is important and how the work responds to its environment, and not imposing on that environment. Its a response, not an imposition. Im not doing it because I want to. Im doing it because its reasonable. And it must be done beautifully. You cant get any more simple than that. Thats really distilled.
LC: Youve also said you wanted the pavilion to be something that possessed serenity and calmness. Why is that important in this particular project?
GM: It allows every activity to take place without the building screaming at you, Look at me! Melbourne is full of look at me buildings and I dont like it. Its not going to last.
[Mexican architect and engineer] Luis Barragn said, Any work of architecture that is designed without serenity in mind is in my view a mistake and when serenity possesses joy, it is ultimate. I hold to that and I think we may have achieved a level of serenity and joy in this work. This is incredibly important because we can always create something other than serenity in a serene space, but we cant create serenity in a rugged space.
Architecture can really lift your spirits. Thats the essence here. I cant take anything out. Its absolutely raw. Its honest. I can tell you its honest because I know I havent put anything in thats there for the sake of it.
Most of the architecture Im critical of [occurs] when the architect has done something that he or she wants. Im not interested in what you want. Im not even interested in what I want. Im interested in what the elements call for. Im interested in what the brief calls for. Im interested in what the human wants.
LC: What is your opinion of the role of a pavilion like this for the city?
GM: The pavilion is for cultural events. Its not for itself. Fancy being able to have a fashion parade where people could do figure eights and circuits [as occurred at the RMIT Master of Fashion (Design) Graduate Showcase on MPavilions opening night]! Thats one thing that I had never planned. I have another principle: if you get the basics right, many other things that you never expected can take place. The role of a pavilion is to be able to provide the flexibility for many cultural events. And, of course, to give shelter. [MPavilion was] designed specifically for summer shelter here but it will go to another place and therefore it needs to be thought about in the wintertime situation as well. But its essentially a summer pleasure ground.
LC: And what do you think is the pavilions place in the architectural discourse?
GM: Ill leave that to others to discuss. Some would say it has no place. But for me, as a personal experience, Naomi [Milgrom] gave me the opportunity to do this pavilion. And I saw it as incumbent on me to do something Id never done before not for the sake of it, but to extend my learning and my architectural development. Even at age 83, I have curiosity still. Curiosity is really important as an architect. I am filled with joy being with nature, because nature has so much to teach us.
Following its intallation at the Queen Victoria Gardens, Murcutts MPavilion was gifted to the University of Melbourne.
See the article here:
Glenn Murcutt, the 'pavilion architect,' on his MPavilion - Architecture AU
- On evolution and art: A retrospective for Selma Grbz | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah - January 27th, 2021
- RELIGION: Now is the right time | Opinion | montrosepress.com - Montrose Daily Press - January 27th, 2021
- Fun Game: Ask Your Darwinist Friends, Guess Who Said This? - Discovery Institute - January 27th, 2021
- Beauty & Wellness Briefing: How far will sustainability efforts go in 2021? - Glossy - January 27th, 2021
- 2021 IPPE: How has COVID-19 impacted the US broiler industry? - The Poultry Site - January 27th, 2021
- Ticking the plant-based box: Vegan-friendly confectionery gathers pace, says Innova Market Insights - FoodIngredientsFirst - January 27th, 2021
- Editors Picks: 18 Events for Your Art Calendar This Week, From a Chat With the Guerrilla Girls to the Music That Inspired Basquiat - artnet News - January 27th, 2021
- How the Russo Family Switched From Superheroes to America's Opioid Crisis With 'Cherry' - Hollywood Reporter - January 27th, 2021
- Could the pandemic get rid of fast fashion for good? - Berkeley Beacon - January 27th, 2021
- Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd. : Form 8.3 - WILLIAM HILL PLC - Ordinary Shares - Yahoo Finance UK - January 27th, 2021
- KSB SE & Co. KGaA: Adjustment of sales and earnings forecast 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK - January 27th, 2021
- Directors focus is to change lives and impact community - Midland Reporter-Telegram - January 27th, 2021
- Lockdown has hindered career progression of Indian women in tech: Report - HT Tech - January 27th, 2021
- Fundamentals of respect, subordination, and leadership in the army for young soldiers - London Post - January 27th, 2021
- Political scientist Angie Maxwell on countering the 'Long Southern Strategy' - Facing South - January 27th, 2021
- Page refresh: how the internet is transforming the novel - The Guardian - January 27th, 2021
- What Is Diet Culture? The Reasons Why Diet Culture Is Toxic - GoodHousekeeping.com - January 27th, 2021
- Pass It On: To Counter Sexist Microaggressions In The Office, Set Boundaries And Find A Mentor-Ally Who Can Help - The Swaddle - January 27th, 2021
- The Magic In Your Mind - Self Mastery - January 11th, 2021
- Learn deep esoteric and profound ideas relevant to your daily life and work with new book - GlobeNewswire - December 14th, 2020
- This Everett artist makes a statement in multiple mediums - The Daily Herald - December 14th, 2020
- 6 Eco-Friendly Activewear Brands You Should Be Adding to Cart - Well+Good - December 14th, 2020
- India's rise will evoke its own reactions and responses: S Jaishankar - Mint - December 14th, 2020
- Trendspotting in beverage flavors: citrus, fermentation and indulgence - BeverageDaily.com - December 14th, 2020
- Letters to the Editor December 14, 2020: The beauty of Bhutan - The Jerusalem Post - December 14th, 2020
- The Ten Best Photography Books of 2020 | Arts & Culture - Smithsonian Magazine - December 14th, 2020
- The legends of Covid-19 and technology - IOL - December 14th, 2020
- Shetland pony helps woman with workout - Yahoo Finance Australia - December 14th, 2020
- Unlocking The Secrets Of Land: How Two Entrepreneurs Have Transformed Property Development - Forbes - December 14th, 2020
- Dr. Sue S. Yom named editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (Red Journal) - Newswise - December 14th, 2020
- Am I Dating An Algorithm? Relationship Experts Weigh In On The Impacts Of AI - Forbes - December 14th, 2020
- Oliver Wyman and SFA publish report on Singapore's fintech scene - Finextra - December 14th, 2020
- Affinity Answers Awarded Neutronian Certification Badge - PR Web - December 14th, 2020
- The Vision of Human Rights and Legal Morality - TheLeaflet - The Leaflet - December 14th, 2020
- The Triumph of the Sexual Revolution Seems Stunni... - ChristianityToday.com - December 14th, 2020
- 4 reasons why marketing should drive your company's digital evolution - Fast Company - December 8th, 2020
- ESSAY: Dreams and Perception, Part Seven - Pagosa Daily Post - December 8th, 2020
- Wish wants to be the Amazon for the rest of us; will retail investors buy it? - TechCrunch - December 8th, 2020
- Smartphones But in Thin Air? | Future of Interface Evolution - Medium - December 8th, 2020
- Found in translation - The Bookseller - December 8th, 2020
- Fats in fashion: 'Fat is the product developers' friend' - FoodNavigator.com - December 8th, 2020
- Examining the Complex, Subjective Filmography of Oliver Stone: A Comparison and Critique of "JFK" to "Nixon" and... - December 8th, 2020
- There's probably an app for that! | By Terence Ronson Hospitality Net - Hospitality Net - December 8th, 2020
- Crows are capable of conscious thought (and it could rewrite the story of evolution) - Yahoo News UK - September 30th, 2020
- Study Shows That Crows Are Much Smarter Than We Ever Imagined - My Modern Met - September 30th, 2020
- Do Birds Have A Subjective Reality? A New Experiment Suggests So - Forbes - September 30th, 2020
- Scientists Claim to Have Proved That Crows Have Conscious Experiences - Futurism - September 30th, 2020
- Latest Research on Brain Structures Reveals How Birds Are Actually Intelligent and Even Self-Aware - VICE - September 30th, 2020
- Maelstrom Collaborative Arts Stays Flexible and Creative with The Wondering: A Story in Time and Space - Cleveland Scene - September 30th, 2020
- Director Alankrita Shrivastava explores sisterhood, sexuality, and breaking free in her latest film on Netflix - YourStory - September 30th, 2020
- 'It wasn't a conscious decision' - Meet the security distie that launched during lockdown - www.channelweb.co.uk - September 30th, 2020
- How Retail Brands Are Capitalizing On Growing Activewear Demand Through Innovation - Forbes - September 30th, 2020
- The Journey of the Antihero - Alta Magazine - September 30th, 2020
- Rayon Market Forecast and Segments, 2020-2025 The Daily Chronicle - The Daily Chronicle - September 30th, 2020
- Asian Women At The Top: Four PR Network Leaders On How Change Happens - PRovoke Media - September 30th, 2020
- Reflective Tape Market to Showcase Vigorous Demand During the Period until 2025 - The Daily Chronicle - September 30th, 2020
- Unmanned Fighter Aircraft Market : In-depth Analysis to Understand the Competitive Outlook of the Global Industry with Future Estimations - The Daily... - September 30th, 2020
- Medium and Large Satellite Market Application And Specification, Product Category, Downstream Buyers,Top Player with Forecast till 2025 - The Daily... - September 30th, 2020
- Modified Nylon Market Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin, Industry Analysis & Forecast by 2025 - The Daily Chronicle - September 30th, 2020
- FTSE 100 on the back foot as market waits for presidential debate sponsored by Saga - Proactive Investors UK - September 30th, 2020
- Why Consciousness Couldn't Just Evolve from the Mud - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence - August 19th, 2020
- How the History of Skin Care Pushes the Industry Forward - Well+Good - August 19th, 2020
- How to Turn 175 Years of Words in Scientific American into an Image - Scientific American - August 19th, 2020
- Where will the new normal take this tourist town? - Santa Fe New Mexican - August 19th, 2020
- Transcript: Into Black Women and the 19th Amendment - NBC News - August 19th, 2020
- 10 Ethical Brands That Support Indigenous Artisans and Communities - Eco Warrior Princess - August 19th, 2020
- Integrated Revenue and Customer Management for CSP Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2020 - Scientect - August 19th, 2020
- Global Silica based Matting Agents Market 2020: Industry Analysis and Detailed Profiles of Top Key Players Evonik Industries, WR Grace, PPG... - August 19th, 2020
- The India story after 25 years of internet and how it has transformed our lives - Economic Times - August 19th, 2020
- Remco Evenepoel expected to travel back to Belgium within 24 hours - Cyclingnews.com - August 19th, 2020
- A-Methapred Market to Expand Substantially Owing to Technological Innovations During 2019-2025 - Scientect - August 19th, 2020
- Roots And Tings Announces Debut Album - Broadway World - August 19th, 2020
- Can the Democratic Party Hold Together? - POLITICO - POLITICO - August 19th, 2020
- Internet of Things (IoT) Cloud Platform Market 2019 Trends, Size, Segments, Emerging Technologies and Industry Growth by Forecast to 2023 - Scientect - August 19th, 2020
- IN FOCUS: Singapore's love affair with bubble tea - an obsession that will never die? - CNA - August 15th, 2020
- Trends in the Ready To Use Industrial Ventilation Systems Market 2019-2020 - Scientect - August 15th, 2020
- Peripheral Intervention Drug-Eluting Devices Market is Seeing Explosive Growth By Future Industry Winners: Forecast, 2014-2022 - Owned - August 15th, 2020
- Human Primary Cells Market Insights, Trends, Analysis, Types, Applications, key players, Market shares and Forecast 2019 to 2023 - Scientect - August 15th, 2020
- Polypropylene Random Copolymer Pipe to Flourish with an Impressive CAGR During 2019-2026 - The News Brok - August 15th, 2020
- On Consciousness: Science and Subjectivity: A Q&A with Bernard Baars - Scientific American - May 28th, 2020