Haven't you always wanted...?

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND 'Haven't you always wanted...?' by M@ Studio was a commission by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) to develop a temporary architectural work for the Grollo Equiset Garden at NGV International. M@ Studio is a collaborative research-led architectural practice comprising RMIT architects, academics and students, led by Vivian Mitsogianni, Mark Jacques, and Dean Boothroyd. The pavilion design was based on a familiar carwash form which was conceptually transplanted into the unfamiliar surroundings of an art gallery. Every-day materials were also reimagined as exceptional to form an immersive experience through which questions and propositions were raised about the nature of the civic project, commercial development and the public realm in Melbourne's outer suburbs. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The project demonstrates 'the union of two ongoing research interests: the first, referred to as "suburban realism", examines new civic models of expression in Melbourne's future outer suburbs; and the second is an exploration of architectural effects, or what is termed "uncertain conditions" and "dematerialisation." The commission uproots a familiar building and, by remodelling and recreating it, helps us see the structure's economic design imperative in a new way.' (Ewan McEoin, NGV senior curator of contemporary design and architecture) RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The project won the 2016 NGV Architecture Commission - an annual open national competition which asks architects to consider innovative ways to activate one of Melbourne's great civic spaces with a thought provoking work of temporary architecture. It subsequently received 2 awards at the 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards: (1) The prestigious Melbourne Prize (joint winner); and (2) Commendation for Small Architecture. It was reviewed in professional journals and magazines: Architecture Australia, Green Magazine, Architecture and Design and Australian Design Review, and the international magazine Domus.