2021 Eat Drink Design Awards: Best Installation Design

Jury comment

Commissioned as part of the 2020 NGV Triennial, the Outdoor Pavilions were envisioned both as an “escape” from Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, and as a response to an adjacent JR artwork about the plight of the Murray-Darling Basin. The jury appreciated the project’s sense of place: set amid a grove of trees in the NGV gardens on a series of raised decks with canvas roofs slung between a repeated A-frame structure. The Outdoor Pavilions had the feel of an outback riverside campsite at night, an effect driven home by the hanging glow lights. “I would love to be there on a summer’s night,” said one juror, “especially in that setting.” During the day, the roofing was removed to create a more informal picnicking experience designed to encourage gallery goers to dwell before or after visiting the exhibition. It’s that flexibility, charm and less-is-more approach to design that the jury felt set this project apart.

Design statement

This collection of pavilions was designed for the National Gallery of Victoria’s 2020 Triennial summer outdoor dining program and operated in two states. Predominately they were used as picnic pavilions and for a month coinciding with the Triennial Extra festival they operated as formal dining spaces. The pavilions created a unique hospitality experience within the restrictive health and safety requirements of COVID times. They were human in scale and offered an evocative experience as they created a special place for picnicking and dining within the garden. The Dining Pavilions with their low canvas roofs, long tables, glowing lights and elevated decking created an intimate space for sharing a meal. The long tables were designed specifically for the formal dining event with 1.5 metre social distancing in mind with many legs acting as a ruler so waiters could safely space diners. They are modulated and flat pack-able for compact storage for future events.

Project credits

Design practice: Boardgrove Architects; Project team: Holly Board, Peter Grove

NGV Triennial 2020 Outdoor Pavilions are built on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people.

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See the whole gallery of images at the Eat Drink Design Awards website.

The 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards are organized by Architecture Media and supported by supporting partners Roca, Latitude and Yal Yal Estate; and presenting partner James Richardson Furniture.

The Eat Drink Design Awards are endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects and the Design Institute of Australia.