Delightfully Inventive – A Pavilion by Office Mi–Ji

On a quiet street in Collingwood in Melbourne’s inner north, a delicate little pavilion of translucent glass sits tucked to one side of a warehouse site. Though designed by Office MI—JI in collaboration with a passionate client to accommodate a takeaway food business, the intriguing structure’s utility is appealingly indeterminate.

Part of the pavilion’s charm is its diminutive size. At a mere 2.7 metres long by 1.5 metres wide and 2.3 metres high, the scale is most un-building-like. This small stature allows the pavilion to be transported by an equally small truck to another site when needed. While in its current position, however, the pavilion calls attention to the haphazard character of the surrounding built environment, where a minute workers cottage is dwarfed by a much larger warehouse on one side and an even bigger commercial building on the other.

Taken from an early client sketch, a three-directional grid of steel T-sections is covered with opaque glass to encompass one singular space. The entirety of the pavilion is constructed in this way – even the roof is glass; only the floor is timber. By day, an operable panel – which defies the descriptor of ‘window’ given that the whole structure is glazed – functions as the point of sale. By night, the pavilion glows gently, like a lantern offering a little more light to the street.

An anomaly in form, materiality, scale and function, the pavilion feels oddly at home despite its curious nature. Modest though striking, whimsical yet precise, it’s a delightfully inventive contribution to Melbourne’s lively hospitality scene.

Taken from an early client sketch, a three-directional grid of steel T-sections is covered with opaque glass to encompass one singular space