Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s First Architectural Commission in Australia Opens in Canberra.

LESS is a recently completed work at Dairy Road in Canberra, designed by Pezo von Ellrichshausen and commissioned by Molonglo. It is the first Australian commission for the esteemed Chilean art and architecture practice, founded in 2002 by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen.

Part public artwork, part public space, LESS consists of 36 concrete columns and a circular ramp that leads to a viewing platform. A small, continuous and shallow stream runs through and down the structure’s columns, pooling, running and returning.

The ground surrounding structure is populated with 6,000 individual plants of over 50 different species, many of which are endemic to Canberra. As these plants grow, the site will transform from its most recent concrete and industrial history to a softer landscape that references its pre-colonial ancestor. This landscape will change with each season, of which there are six—according to the local Ngunnawal calendar—slowly becoming more immersive and equal to the structure that supports it.

“Less than a structure, an infrastructure. It is an idiosyncratic place that refuses to be called in a single manner, with a single word. Its form is basic; a square plan with a 2:3 ratio in elevation. Within this format there seems to be a single element repeated without hierarchies,” elaborate Mauricio and Sofia. “In its monotonous gesture, in its tedious regularity as much as in its lack of direction, bold columns and slender pillars erode any other function than that of framing every other function. Many events are allowed in unlabelled places.”

Public Spaces That Pop.

Public spaces define the culture of a city and shape the way we all live. Well designed, they have the power to create a sense of community, belonging and identity. And the best part? Everyone can join in.

Located in Canberra’s East Lake, Dairy Road is a neighbourhood slowly developing. As an intentionally ambiguous structure, LESS will contribute to the site’s evolving social landscape by providing a landmark and gathering place. Avoiding a deterministic or transactional approach to use and presence, LESS invites the evolving community to interact with and occupy its varied spaces as they see fit.

Evoking a sense of stillness and movement simultaneously, the project seeks to encourage contemplation within an industrial setting undergoing its own process of gradual change. This includes personal contemplation stimulated by the running water, the sound of its lapping and of the wind blowing through the columns; and contemplation of the Dairy Road site viewed from the upper platform, imagining how the neighbourhood might evolve over time.

'Types of Spaces' Installation by Palma and Hanghar.

A surprising passageway leads visitors to the old Tobacco Factory of La Rioja. This temporary installation was envisioned for Concéntrico...

Sketches and drawings courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen.

[Images courtesy of Molonglo. Photography by Rory Gardiner.]