David Gianotten of OMA on MPavilion 2017
As Managing Partner-Architect of international architecture firm OMA, David Gianotten knows a thing or two about the role architecture plays in our world, today.
OMA, was founded in 1975 by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas and architect Elia Zenghelis, and boasts a remarkable list of projects that it has overseen, including the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, the Seattle Central Library and the Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, to name only a few. Along with eight other partners, Koolhaas runs both OMA and AMO, which is the research branch of OMA that does work in disciplines like fashion, renewable energy, politics and media.
Gianotten joined OMA’s team in 2008 and, just two years later, became partner at the pioneering firm. He has made a name for himself thanks to his leadership on key projects, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region. As acting partner-in-charge of OMA’s Hong Kong and Beijing offices, as well as director of OMA Asia, Gianotten heads the firm’s extensive portfolio in Asia.
While in Hong Kong, Gianotten oversaw the construction of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Headquarters, the final stages of the CCTV headquarters in Beijing and OMA’s conceptual masterplan for the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
We spoke with Gianotten on his work, evolution and the essence of the MPavilion 2017 structure, which is set to be built later this year.
OMA’s approach to architecture, Gianotten states, is that of a curator, bringing together all of the necessary people, places and ideas to make something truly great.
“We see the role of the architect or urbanist as a director of the development of cities and the countryside,” he told fluoro. “The specialist that can bring the aesthetic, technical, social, and financial pre-conditions of the context and the design question together.”
Gianotten – who studied architecture and construction technology at the Eindhoven University of Technology, where he is also a professor in the Architecture Design and Engineering department – claims that architecture must always question the culture that inspires it, as no structure stands alone of its surroundings or the social factors that influence it.
“Cultural background is an important part of how you look at questions and problems and therefore always plays a role within a design environment,” he says. “In The Netherlands we are used to the fact that the full urban environment is designed. This means that we are used to work in a complex environment that is constantly changing and innovating which helps us answer design questions in other parts of the world.”
In addition to his work in Asia, Gianotten is one of two directors of OMA’s recently-opened Australian branch, which is currently working on MPavilion 2017, a community venue set to open in the Queen Victoria Gardens in the centre of Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct.
OMA’s first completed architectural commission in Australia, MPavilion 2017 will provide space for public debate, music and arts events, design workshops, and performances and exhibitions of all kinds. It is a direct descendant of MPavilion 2016, which closed in February this year and drew in 94,000 visitors and hosted more than 487 free events over the 139 days that it was in operation.
The 2017 iteration surely aims to replicate the same level of success. Its design will pay homage to ancient amphitheaters, with the lines between outside and inside, audience and performer being blurred, offering an immersive and empathetic experience for those lucky enough to attend an event at the grounds.
“We wanted to create an open place for debate rather than an artifact,” says Gianotten. “It is a place that gives a platform to the city to debate its own unique future on a local and global scale.”
The ground plan of MPavilion 2017 includes two grand stands – one fixed and the other transportable. The larger, static grand stand is dug out from the surrounding landscape and is adorned with 12 species of indigenous Australian plants. The smaller, moveable grand stand can be rotated, letting it easily shift from seating to stage. Pavilion infrastructure, such as lighting and hanging items, are placed within a floating roof, a 2-metre-high mechanical grid structure, with elements in the canopy changeable depending on the event being held.
Gianotten says that the interactive elements of MPavilion 2017 are meant to provoke discussion among its visitors and remind them of the grander cultural context within its host city of Melbourne.
“As pavilions are now often ‘used’ as art pieces made by architects, we wanted to create a space in which the dialogue between the users was the central point of attention rather that the aesthetics of it,” he says.
“[The interactive elements] are all part of the staging of the debate about the city,” Gianotten adds, “how it can evolve and which unique direction it should take.”
When MPavilion 2017 opens to the public on Tuesday 3 October 2017, it will continue the series’ long-running tradition of bringing thought-provoking cultural discourse to Melbourne. With performances, installations, talks, workshops and other events set to keep the venue buzzing, it will certainly be a must-see for any Melbourne local or tourist.
“We wanted to create an open place for debate rather than an artifact,” says Gionotten. “A place that gives a platform to the city to debate its own unique future on a local and global scale.”
For more from OMA and MPavilion 2017 stay tuned to fluoro.
