2019 MPavilion to be designed by Australian architect Glenn Murcutt

An Australian architect, Glenn Murcutt, has been chosen to design the sixth annual MPavilion. An initiative of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, the annual commission erects a temporary structure in Melbourne's historic Queen Victoria Gardens each spring. Others to have designed the months-long installation include Spanish architect Carme Pinós, Rem Koolhaas & David Gianotten of OMA, and Bijoy Jain, among others. 

Mr. Murcutt, 82, will be only the second Australian architect to have been commissioned for the project, following Sean Godsell, who designed the inaugural pavilion in 2014. Murcutt is widely considered as one of the country's most profound architects and is known for his designs that carry a distinctive Australian character. He doesn’t build outside the country. 

Notable residential works such as the Marie Short House, the Simspon-Lee House, and the Magney House—which is often considered his most famous residence—have helped catapult Murcutt, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2002, to international fame. 

He is well regarded for his one-man practice that has amassed a large portfolio of small, yet deeply influential, works over the decades. Other regional works include  the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre; and the recent Australian Islamic Center. 

Known for his environmentally sensitive and responsible designs, the site at Queen Victoria Gardens promises much inspiration for the Australian architect. In a statement, Murcutt said: "MPavilion is such an interesting, assiduous project and I’m honored to be commissioned.”