MELBOURNE.- The Naomi Milgrom Foundation announced the commission for the fifth annual MPavilion has been awarded to internationally renowned Spanish-based architect and educator Carme Pinós of Estudio Carme Pinós. MPavilion 2018 will be the first public commission by a Spanish female architect in Australia. The announcement comes as MPavilion 2017, designed by OMA / Rem Koolhaas & David Gianotten, closed on Sunday 11 February, having received an overwhelming public response with more than 117,000+ visitors and 477 free events over 133 days.

Naomi Milgrom AO, founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, who commissioned Carme Pinós to design MPavilion 2018, commented: “Carme’s remarkable work honours the responsibility of architecture to serve a community, by creating spaces that place human experience and environment at the centre of her designs. Her approach to architecture, social housing and community reflects MPavilion’s ongoing desire to stimulate debate about the role of design and architecture in building creative and equitable cities and communities.”

Commenting on her commission for MPavilion 2018, Carme Pinós, founder of Estudio Carme Pinós, said: “It is my honor and pleasure to have this opportunity to design a new pavilion for the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. It is a great responsibility to create a unique place in this special park with views over Melbourne—a city to which I have deep attachments. I am inspired by the fact that this new project will become a cultural destination for the city.”

A recipient of the prestigious Berkeley-Rupp Architecture Professorship and Prize, Carme has made significant contributions to advance gender equity in the field of architecture with work exhibiting commitment to community. Part of a humanist approach to architecture, she is celebrated for urban refurbishments, social housing, public works and furniture design. Her architecture has garnered worldwide appreciation in tandem with the rise of modern architecture in Barcelona, increasingly growing in influence and reputation throughout Europe; South, Central and North America; and beyond.

Among her most significant works are the Department Building of the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Austria), the Cube II Towers in Guadalajara (Mexico), the Caixaforum Cultural and Exhibition Centre in Zaragoza (Spain), and the metro station Zona Universitaria and the Crematorium in the Igualada Cemetery, both in Barcelona.

Continuing its strong collaborative approach to programming, MPavilion 2017 engaged more than 550 collaborators including cultural institutions, architects, artists, musicians, dancers, choreographers, scientists and designers to develop the four-month free cultural program. This year’s program contributed to numerous festivals and public events, including Melbourne Festival, Melbourne Music Week, Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Mapping Melbourne and more.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said: “MPavilion is a unique concept that brings together some of our greatest design talent to share ideas with the Victorian community. I’m excited to see how Carme Pinós draws from human experience, environment and architecture to develop a creative space for all to enjoy. Each edition of MPavilion brings its own vision for a creative, inspiring meeting place. This will be something truly special for our city.”