MPavilion 10 Chair Commission

MPAVILION 10 CHAIR COMMISSION

MPAVILION 10 CHAIR TO BE SELECTED BY TADAO ANDO

Tadao Ando, Pritzker Prize Laureate and MPavilion 10 designer, is set to select the annual MPavilion Chair Commission competition winner. The Chair Commission is a highlight of each MPavilion, with the winning design and practice featured onsite and profiled to an expansive network of local and international media, collaborators, partners and visitors during the season.

‘Over the last nine years, the MPavilion Chair Commission has been won by established and emerging designers from across the world,’ said MPavilion Creative Director Jen Zielinska. ‘We are thrilled that Tadao Ando has agreed to judge the competition in our milestone tenth year.’

On MPavilion 10, Ando has said his ‘design began with a desire to find a scene of eternity within the public space of the Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne. Eternal – not in material or structure – but in the memory of a landscape that will continue to live in people’s hearts.’

The selected design will be responsive to this unique design process and approach – view Ando’s MPavilion 10 design here – with human-centred comfort also a key consideration. The winning chair will be used across myriad events, from conversations and concerts to children’s programs, workshops and gatherings.

Previous MPavilion Chair Commissions include designs by BoardGrove Architects, Canberra Design Lab (pictured), Carme Pinós, Chris Connell, Craftspeople in Mumbai, India, nüüd studio, OMA and Sean Godsell.

The MPavilion Chair Commission competition is now closed. The shortlist will be released 20 July, with the winner announced 27 July.

The brief

Design the MPavilion 10 Chair to be used throughout our milestone tenth season. MPavilion 10 will take place in the Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne as designed by Pritzker Prize Laureate Tadao Ando.

Design considerations

MPavilion is an outdoor space – the chairs need to be weatherproof (rain, heat).
The chairs need to be lightweight – so they can be easily moved.
Be mindful of diversity – guests span small children to older adults of all abilities.
MPavilion does not always have a security guard present – it helps to be able to securely lock the chairs together overnight, but this is not essential.
The chairs need to be easily cleaned / wiped down.
The chairs need to be durable – and last the length of the season and beyond.
We care about the environment – the use of sustainable materials in the chair’s manufacturing will be highly regarded.

INSPIRATION

Please refer to the existing works of Tadao Ando – noting he will select the winning design – and consider the proposed materiality of MPavilion 10.

Quantity

40–50 chairs.

Budget

Up to five designers will be shortlisted and awarded $500 +GST.
Total budget is $12,500. This is to include a prototype chair, design fee, manufacturing and delivery costs.
As part of your expression of interest, please submit an itemised budget including estimated costs.

PROCESS

Up to five designers will be shortlisted from the entries received and paid $500 +GST. One design will then be commissioned for production. Tadao Ando will select a winner from the shortlist.

TIMEFRAME

Thursday 27 April	MPavilion 10 Chair Commission opens
Thursday 11 May	MPavilion 10 design released
Friday 2 June	MPavilion 10 Chair Commission closes
Thursday 20 July	Up to five designers shortlisted
Thursday 27 July	Winner announced
August – October	All 40–50 chairs in production

Wednesday 8 November	All chairs delivered to MPavilion
Thursday 16 November	MPavilion 10 opens

Note: The MPavilion 10 Chair Commission shortlist will now be released 20 July, with the winner announced 27 July. We appreciate your patience and will be in touch with successful and unsuccessful entrants in due course.

CONDITIONS OF COMMISSION

Upon commission of the chair, the designer is assigned the intellectual property of the design on the basis that MPavilion is always acknowledged (i.e. MPavilion 10 Chair). MPavilion will retain the right to produce further editions of the chair without paying an additional design fee.