Liu Huiying, Class 1 Registered Architect(PRC) and Senior Engineer, joined MAD in June, 2010. He has accumulated rich experience in architectural design and implementation. His working experience involves all phrases of architectural practices from conceptual design to construction. He has been responsible for various projects during their construction phases, namely Baiziwan Social Housing, Chaoyang Park Plaza, Roma 71 Via Boncompagni, Garden house, Paris UNIC, Chongqing Cuntan International Cruise Center, Harbin Opera House, and Quzhou Sports Park. Especially in the field of residential projects, ranging from luxury apartments to hotels, general residential communities and government social housing construction supervision, he is able to continuously pursue the realisation of high quality, high degree of completion of architectural works in architectural design and practice, and ensure that all parties work together to realise the project based on the maximum respect for the design and the idea of ultra-high standard.

Beijing Office

‘MAD IN CHINA’, the solo design exhibition of MAD, opened in the Danish Architecture Centre (DAC), Copenhagen on November 2, 2007. This is the second exhibition of MAD in Europe following their 2006 Venice show. The exhibition is on view through January 2008.

Over the last 20 years, China has become known as the factory of the world. “Made in China” is globally recognised as symbolising cheap products and low quality. However, in the post-globalization era, the whole world has set its eyes on China, a country that is advancing rapidly in economy, culture, and art as well as in other realms. A new generation of architects and designers is in the middle of creating a multi-layered social identity, transforming the economic strength and individual dreams into a new kaleidoscope of size, height, space, and shape.

Kent Martinussen, the director of DAC, remarked that MAD IN CHINA is not merely an exhibition of an emerging new firm. Rather, the firm’s controversial social dimension brings a new perspective on China to the West. China begins to make its own rules, no longer subject to the taste of foreign countries.
The show features arresting design proposals from the socially conscious architecture firm. In MAD’s most visionary, politically daring design, “Beijing 2050,” the studio has quite literally gone mad with futuristic visions for a densely populated city in the year 2050, including a blueprint for transforming Tiananmen Square into a sprawling, forested parkland.

The show also includes other major works of MAD: The 800-metre Guangzhou Twin Towers take a humorous and critical look at the tradition of skyscraper as architectural icon while referencing Chinese pop culture; ‘Fish Tank’ is a reflection on mass-produced housing in an industrialized society. Visionary projects currently headed towards construction, such as Toronto’s highly-publicized Absolute Tower, and Tianjin, China’s culturally significant Sinosteel International Plaza, are examples of the office’s forward-thinking spaces that are quickly becoming reality. One item in the exhibition, the Denmark Pavilion, confronts the associations with ‘Made in China’, and features materials produced and refined in China, but later shipped to Europe for assembly. With each project, an idiosyncratic voice rises with the boldness and creativity to confidently step forward among the global architecture scene.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Exhibition

MAD in China - DAC

The China Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, titled CO-EXIST and curated by Ma Yansong, founder and principal partner of MAD, officially opened on Friday, May 9 at the Arsenale.

CO-EXIST explores the evolving dynamic between traditional Chinese spiritual philosophy and accelerating contemporary technology, set against the backdrop of a global shift from industrial civilization to the age of intelligence.

“We hope this collective presentation signals a process of transformation—one that is seen and discussed openly—revealing the younger generation’s interpretation of traditional Chinese culture, their proposals rooted in modernity, and their visions for the future. We believe we are entering an era that is diverse, humanized, and emotionally rich. In this context, we aim to offer ideas from China—so that Chinese wisdom may be shared with the world.”

Twelve interdisciplinary exhibitors draw from China’s local traditions, using imagination and Eastern philosophies as a foundation to retranslate cultural heritage and reconnect emotion and nature in the wake of modernism. Their works seek new methods to recognize, adapt to, and respond to the complexity and diversity of cities within local contexts.

The pavilion represents a collective voice of emerging Chinese architects, collaborating with academic institutions, research centers, technology innovators, and digital ecology builders. Embracing a “one place, one solution” approach, they collapse time, discipline, and method—offering visions that reflect traditional Eastern roots, critique contemporary urban development, and imagine new futures for China’s cities, dwellings, and ways of life.

China Academy of Art, School of Communication & Design

This installation interprets the sacrificial rituals and music of the Liangzhu city-state—an early cradle of Chinese civilization—as a dialogue between heaven, earth, and humanity. Using traditional instruments like chimes, guqin, and pottery flutes, the piece constructs a resonant ritual space linking ancient memory to speculative futures.

Dunhuang·Con-Stella-Tion
Atelier Alter Architects PLLC

This piece reimagines the multi-religious vaults of Dunhuang as a floating urban cosmos. Each structure reflects the cosmology of a distinct civilization—embracing cultural differences and celebrating coexistence.

Spring, Along Beijing Central Axis
Dunes Workshop

Following Beijing’s successful 2024 bid to list its Central Axis as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this video installation poetically maps 10 key sites along the axis using point cloud animation, blending soundscapes of nature and humanity to visualize the axis as a living embodiment of ancient Chinese urban planning.

Vault of Heaven
Wang Zigeng, Central Academy of Fine Arts

Green construction netting—ubiquitous in China’s rapid urbanization—is transformed into a cascading dome inspired by the “sky” of ancient Chinese well architecture. The work weaves fragmented memories of modernization into a spiritual dialogue between humans and the cosmos.

Concrete Spolia: Reuse of Building Waste
[S]Equilibrium Lab, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

This installation repurposes concrete construction waste from Venice using advanced industrial processes. The resulting sculptural piece demonstrates the potential of sustainable reuse while preserving the structural logic of its original components.

Renew City Plugins
People’s Architecture Office; Long Ying Research Group, Tsinghua University

This collaborative project explores urban revitalization through AI and open-source spatial analysis. “Plugins” are then deployed to upgrade underutilized city spaces, increasing efficiency and reactivating public life.

City in China – Nature of All Things
WAY Studio; Tencent Research Institute

Amid dense megacities, this concept envisions vertical urban ecologies that integrate botanical systems into upward transport infrastructures—reimagining skyscrapers as living networks.

Open Source City
Red Product Design Center (Xiaohongshu/The Rednote)

By translating social media interaction data into spatial design elements, this project repositions everyday users as co-authors of the city, turning digital behavior into dynamic public spaces.

Interchange City
Drawing Architecture Studio

This work celebrates informal, often overlooked spaces beneath highway overpasses. These marginal zones are reframed as sites of human vitality and alternative urban narratives.

MAD investigates traditional Chinese natural philosophy as a pathway to respond to contemporary ecological crises. Merging handcrafted oil-paper umbrella techniques with contemporary architectural forms, their installation offers a sensorial microclimate that unites aesthetics and environmental logic.

Venice, Italy

Atelier Alter Architects PLLC , Zhang Yingfan, Bu Xiaojun; Drawing Architecture Studio,Li Han, Hu Yan, Zhang Xintong; Dunes Workshop , Li Yalun, Chen Feiyue, Zhang Daisy Ziyan; People’s Architecture Office, Long Ying Research Group, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University; MAD, Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano; RED Product Design Center; China Academy of Art, School of Communication & Design, Jiang Jun; [S]Equilibrium Lab, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wang Shuaizhong; Wang Zigeng, Central Academy of Fine Arts;  WAY Studio,Zheng Tao, Fernie Lai

Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China

China International Culture Association

China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. (CAEG)

China International Exhibition Agency

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Italy

Huawei

OPPLE Lighting

China Construction Eighth Bureau Technology Construction Co., Ltd., NorthGlass

Langjiu

QZY Models

Far East Façade, Unilumin Group Co., Ltd.

Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Fiona Qi Ziying, Pan Siyi, Li Ran, Huang Juntao, Zhu Yuanlong, Valentina Olivieri, Zheng Chengwen, Song Jia, Tammy Xie Xiaozhang, Cynthia Liu Qing, Liu Danyang, Li Yingzhou, Sammi Yu Qiannan, Wang Manwei, Aaron Jiang Kuo, Muse Miao Si, Zhang Zhonglin

RFR Shanghai, bespoke. Sur-Mesure Engineering Studio, RDesign International Lighting

One Thousand Times, aptdotapt

We Exhibit, Top Space (China) International Trade Co., Ltd

Top Space (China) International Trade Co., Ltd

TONEKING, GREEN VIEW

Deng Yingying, Wang Wenyang

Demone、Roberta Orio

CO-EXIST: Pavilion of China Curated by Ma Yansong

The overall site has a footprint of 177.6-hectare, and a total building area of nearly 270,000 square meters. The terminal building was designed to add a human-scaled space with a calming presence to the Airport, both from a distance and from within. As visitors approach from the high-speed rail “Longjia” Station or the parking structure, they will be greeted by the terminal’s unique fan-shaped profile that resembles a floating feather — a nod to the airplanes that will be ascending and descending from its terminals throughout the day.

By adopting a three-fingered corridor structure surrounded by arcs, the terminal will maintain an overall harmonious layout in its connections to the T1 and T2 terminal areas while increasing the number of passenger seats near the aircrafts. Upon entrance, passengers will encounter a large, uninterrupted ground floor that provides direct access to the subway, automobile road and other methods of transportation connecting the terminal to the larger site.

The terminal also reflects the charm of Changchun as a "Garden City'' through the creation of what the design team has referred to as a "garden airport." The exterior space area is characterized by forests, lakes, meadows, and undulating terrain, while the indoor garden system combines trees, ground covers, and water features to create a "cold zone garden" that reflects the local climate.

Natural light is brought into the departure hall through the feather-shaped roof to create a bright and warm interior space that provides much-needed sunlight to the garden spaces within. The structural system continues the rhythm of the building's skin to express the logic of force transmission, which converges toward the center together with the skylight, guiding the direction of passengers naturally. The unique wooden ceiling also combines with the structure, skylight and sunlight to create a dynamic interior space.

The terminal’s approach to green design at an intimate scale is a response to the timeless human need for connection to human and plant-life alike; all within a shape as light and airy as a feather floating in the breeze.


Changchun, China

Infrastructure

Jilin Provincial Civil Airport Group Company

China Airport Planning & Design Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd., MAD

SUN Shouquan, SUN Mingze, SONG Minzhe, WANG Fei, LU Zihao, XIAO Yuhan, CHEN Wei, CAO Xi, Yoshio FUKUMORI

MU Tong, YAO Huilai, FENG Xiangling, SUN Yongxue, YAO Yuan, XU Junjie, ZHANG Bao, ZHANG Yan, SHEN Xin, QI Junjie, HAO Wenjia, LIU Zihao, XU Ke, LI Zhennan, FENG Mengyao, LI Xiong, ZHENG Guangshun, SHEN Yi, LU Xin, LI Henghui

 WANG Xiaoqun, SHU Weinong, WANG Yizhi, LI Shaokun, SU Yao, WU Di, WANG Yisu, WANG Bin, REN Jie, ZHANG Zhongqi, ZHANG Linyi, CHEN Lin, GU Xianliang, MU Yang, FAN Shixing, WANG Hanmo, ZHANG Shizhong, YU Xinqiao, ZHANG Shirui, PAN Ming

Changchun Airport T3

The Absolute Towers nicknamed the “Marilyn Monroe Towers” represent a departure from conventional high-rise design. Rather than emphasizing vertical lines, the towers feature smooth, continuous balconies that spiral around the façade, creating a sense of motion and fluidity. Each floor rotates slightly in response to surrounding views, offering residents unique perspectives of the sky, city, and landscape.

This organic form reflects our ongoing inquiry into how architecture can reconnect people with nature in dense urban environments. Instead of conforming to modernism’s machine-like logic, the design embraces complexity, emotion, and environmental awareness. The towers aim to redefine the skyline not through height alone, but through softness, rhythm, and presence.

The result is a landmark that transforms a suburban intersection into a new urban center an iconic statement of identity for Mississauga, and an architectural experience that engages both body and spirit.

Toronto, Canada

Residential

Absolute Tower

Yu Kui, Zhao Wei, Florian Pucher, Zhao Fan, Hao Yi, Yao Mengyao, Shen Jun, Robert  Groessinger, Yi Wenzhen, Liu Yuan, Li Kunjuan, Max Lonnqvist, Eric Spencer

BURKA Architects INC.

SIGMUND, SOUDACK & ASSOCIATES INC. 

ECE Group

NAK Design

ESQAPE Design

Absolute Towers

MAD’s design for the Urbanism\Architecture Shenzhen & Hongkong Bi-city Biennale, the Monster’s Footprint debuted in the Citizen Square of Shenzhen. It is a sunken space shade of a giant footprint, paved by pink EPDM material, functioning as the playground for the citizens in the city center.

Shenzhen is a village turned city overnight. Enchanted by the bursting power of economic development, the city center is filled with extensive, and yet indistinctive icons. The coarse scale and preposterous symbolism of these icons have detached themselves from people’s daily experience. The Monster’s Footprint attempts to enter this very surreal reality, and offer a possibility for city dwellers to find their own freedom and joy in the Citizen Square.

Shenzhen, China

Installation 

Chen Shuyu, Shang Li, Fu Changrui, Zheng Tao

Shenzhen GuanAoTongKangTi Ltd..(GALLOP) 

09 Shenzhen & Hongkong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture

Monster’s Footprint in the Citizen Square

Momentum is an installation presented at Milan Design Week 2023 in collaboration with Interni and AXA IM Alts. Installed in the main courtyard of the University of Milan, the work explores the concept of time and the moment of artistic creation through a minimal cubic form.

The structure acts as a reflective object by day, mirroring its historic surroundings and becoming a dynamic part of the environment. At night, it transforms becoming transparent and illuminated from within—revealing a different spatial character. This duality expresses the passage and transformation of time.

Beyond its physical presence, Momentum integrates digital art through augmented reality. Visitors can access AR experiences by scanning a QR code on Instagram, extending the installation into a participatory virtual space where users become part of the creative process.


Milan, Italy

The Momentum

MAD has completed Roca’s Beijing Gallery in Dongzhimen, near the Beijing East Second Ring Road. The project consists of an unobstructed gallery space that opens up to its urban environment; behind double-height glazing, the interior walls of both of the gallery’s floors, finished with a screen of LEDs, become a new façade for the city.

The multimedia surface is intended to provide spectators accessible, vibrant glimpses into projected realities that challenge their senses and their rectilinear environments -- creating an atmosphere that is a fluid mixture of light, movement, and people. The content of the screens, such as simulated depictions of people using the showrooms, seemingly unaware of their visitors or any observation, playfully connects the Roca Beijing Gallery’s internal spaces. An intentional ambiguity of “interior” and “exterior” is perceptible for those passing the gallery, resulting from the movement of nearby pedestrians and the silhouettes of those inside, a movement further distorted by the LED screens.

The gallery also projects images of nature, simulating different weather conditions and seasons--such as the falling of rain, or the emulation of sunshine to address a smoggy day. Designed by art critic and curator Jérôme Sans, the installation changes with the passing of seconds, minutes, and days.

Beijing, China

Public

Yukan Yanagawa, Hiroki Fujino, Yin Ming, Li Yuanhao, and Sear Nee

Sino-tech (Beijing) Decoration & Engineering Co,.Ltd

K.W.design

Roca Beijing Gallery

Cloud Center is a multi-purpose cultural venue for Aranya, a seaside arts community in Qinhuangdao, China. Located near the Beidaihe coastline, the building is conceived as a “floating cloud by the sea,” blending architecture with landscape and sky.

The structure houses a theater, exhibition hall, and press room within a flexible, open interior. Its cloud-like form is created through sweeping structural overhangs, with the largest extending 30 meters. These overhangs make the white mass appear to float above a transparent ground floor. A central core supports the structure, allowing for a column-free interior and adaptable event space.

The façade is made of hyperbolic white stained glass, giving the building a soft, reflective presence that changes with the light. Skylights bring natural light into the swirling ceiling of the main space, supporting both energy efficiency and the atmosphere.

A circular white stone garden surrounds the building, evoking a surreal, cosmic landscape. Pools and reflective surfaces blur the line between architecture and nature, creating a peaceful, otherworldly setting.



Aranya, China

Yin Jianfeng, Liu Hailun, Chen Hungpin, Edgar Navarrete, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Luis Torres, Chen Yi-en, Zhang Chao, Li Gang 

Shijiazhuang Pharma Group, Aranya

Zhongke (Beijing) Architectural Planning & Design Institute Co., Ltd.

RFR Shanghai, King Glass Engineering Co., Ltd.

Beijing Sunshine Landscape Co., Ltd

Montaigne Design Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd.

Lighting Stories (Beijing) Cultural & Creative Co., Ltd.

Beijing Junyi Rongchuang Cultural Communication Limited Company

Beijing Yaxun Yingda Technology Development Limited Company

Beijing Huaxin Sifang Architectural Technique Limited Company

Aranya Cloud Center

Jiaxing Train Station is a transportation infrastructure project located in the center of Jiaxing, a historic city southwest of Shanghai. The station rethinks conventional transit models by combining infrastructure with public space, culture, and nature.

At the heart of the site is a reconstructed version of the original 1907 station house, recreated using historical archives and local materials. This historic building is paired with a floating metal canopy and a sunken transportation hub, where platforms, waiting areas, and circulation are placed underground to free the surface for public use.

Above ground, the design extends an existing park, adding over 1,500 trees and a central lawn surrounded by low-rise buildings that house commercial and cultural programs. These spaces appear as sculpted green hills, offering open areas for public events. The entry plaza and gardens blend civic life with nature, turning the train station into a destination beyond transit.

The station design emphasizes human scale, ecological sensitivity, and integration with the city’s existing urban fabric. By combining transport with landscape and community functions, Jiaxing Train Station proposes a new model for future urban infrastructure.



Jiaxing, China

Adaptive Reuse

Yao Ran, Yu Lin, Cao Chen, Chen Nianhai, Cheng Xiangju, Reinier Simons, Fu Xiaoyi, Chen Wei, He Shunpeng, Li Zhengdong, Cao Xi, Zhang Kai, Li Xinyun, Kaushik Raghuraman, Deng Wei, Huang Zhiyu, Huai Wei, Sun Mingze, Dayie Wu, Hou Jinghui, Yin Jianfeng, Claudia Hertrich, Liu Zifan, Xie Qilin, Alan Rodríguez Carrillo, Qiang Siyang

Jiaxing Modern Service Industry Development & Investment (Group) Co., Ltd.

Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd., China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Shuishi Architectural Design & Planning Corp.,Ltd

Z’scape Landscape Planning and Design

Beijing Sign Lighting Industry Group

NDC CHINA, Inc.

Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Decoration & Landscape Design Research Institute Co., Ltd.

LERA Consulting Structural Engineers

RFR Shanghai

China Railway Construction Engineering Group, China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group, China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Co., Ltd.

Jiaxing Train Station

The City of Time is a temporary installation for Migratory Birds 300, a 300-hour artist residency held in Aranya, China. Inspired by avian migration, the project gathers 300 artists from diverse backgrounds to co-create by the sea.

Oriented along an axis facing the shoreline, the installation offers a space free from urban constraints where art, nature, and time converge. Over 300 hours, it hosts 131 group works and 194 individual pieces, including performances, installations, sculptures, and videos.

Unlike real cities shaped by utility, The City of Time prioritizes spiritual and creative expression. It becomes a communal space for reflection, collaboration, and experimentation.

Part of the Aranya Theater Festival, Migratory Birds 300 also extends to Regent’s Canal in London. The residency emphasizes shared living and working, encouraging new partnerships and collective creativity.

Dissolving after 300 hours, The City of Time leaves behind a brief but powerful experience an imagined city built for connection, expression, and transformation.

The City of Time 2023

LIU Huiying, Class 1 Registered Architect(PRC) and Senior Engineer, joined MAD in June, 2010. He has accumulated rich experience in architectural design and implementation. His working experience involves all phrases of architectural practices from conceptual design to construction. 

Andrea D’Antrassi is a registered architect in Italy and Switzerland, and received his Master’s Degree in Architecture from Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Switzerland. He joined MAD in 2010. Andrea is responsible for managing MAD's practice in Europe and the Middle East, as well as overseeing the overall operations of the Rome office. With solid experiences gained from overseas projects in US, Italy, Australia and China, he adds a valuable global vision to MAD. Andrea has been involved with Roma 71 Via Boncompagni, Huangshan Mountain Village, Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center, and FENIX Museum of Migration in Rotterdam.

Rome Office

MAD, led by Ma Yansong, was commissioned by the Rotterdam, Netherlands-based Droom en Daad Foundation again, to make an initial design that turn the riverfront Provimi warehouse into a new cultural destination, the Danshuis (Dutch language for “the Dance House”). The project is intended to be equipped with professional dance studios, theaters, exhibition spaces to welcome dancers from all around the world to perform all kinds of dance freely.

Through this latest major cultural project, the Droom en Daad Foundation aims to make the city of Rotterdam a world leader through art and culture. The Danshuis transforms the old warehouse on the south bank of the Mas River Rotterdam into a symbol for freedom and pluralism. A vibrant place for the exchange of world dance culture, it will echo the adjacent "Fenix Museum of Migration," MAD’s first European cultural project, which together realize and strengthen the connection of the cultural fabric of the city.

In the Danshuis, people will feel the outdoors from within, the flow of dance and music in the process of watching and being watched, and the free transmission of art through tangible and intangible forms. "Dance is a flowing art of space. To emphasis that and respect the locality and history of the building, we decided to make minimum change to the original structure, just to add art installations in conversation with the environment” said Ma Yansong.“With this second commission from Droom en Daad Foundation, we hope to highlight Rotterdam's yearning for freedom and embracing of diverse global cultures. The Fenix Museum of Migration and the Danshuis are closely linked and will also look to the future together in Rotterdam's century-old port.”



Rotterdam, Netherlands

Culture

Alessandro Fisalli, Paolo Pirri

The Droom en Daad Foundation

Danshuis

Mirage is our proposal for the renovation of Montparnasse Tower in Paris. Designed by Ma Yansong, the scheme reimagines the controversial skyscraper often criticized as the “scar of Paris” as a large-scale optical installation that reflects its surroundings poetically and unexpectedly.

Completed in 1973, Montparnasse Tower stands as one of Paris’ tallest structures, but its imposing black form has long been seen as out of place within the city’s classical landscape. Our concept uses angled glass panels to create a concave façade that transforms the tower into a city-scale mirror.

The design reflects Paris’ rooftops and skyline onto the upper portion of the tower, while the sky appears mirrored on the lower section, blurring the boundary between architecture and atmosphere. From certain angles, iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower appear upside down in the tower’s reflection, creating a surreal and dreamlike effect.

Rather than erasing history, Mirage offers a new lens to interpret the past. Our approach is not to conceal the building’s presence but to soften its impact through reflection, light, and illusion inviting viewers to reconsider how architecture can engage with memory, scale, and its urban context.

Paris, France

Mirage - Montparnasse Tower

Fenix transforms Rotterdam’s historic Fenix warehouse into a cultural landmark that explores the universal story of human migration. Located on the Katendrecht Peninsula, the 1923 warehouse was once the largest transshipment hub in the world, serving as a departure point for millions of migrants.

The design preserves the building’s industrial character, retaining its original concrete structure and green steel windows while introducing contemporary interventions. A glass curtain wall replaces sections of the facade and roof, creating an open, light-filled interior.

At the heart of the transformation is the Tornado a double-helix staircase that rises from the ground floor and extends onto a rooftop observation deck. This sculptural element breaks down the scale of the warehouse into human-centered spaces while offering panoramic views of Rotterdam and the River Maas. Its flowing form, crafted from stainless steel and wood, symbolizes movement and transition, echoing the journeys taken by generations of migrants.

Inside, the space spans two floors, housing a growing collection of art, photography, and historical artifacts. Commissions from emerging international artists further enrich the museum’s narrative, presenting migration through diverse perspectives.

Opening in 2025, FENIX serves as a bridge between past and future, inviting visitors to engage with the complexities of migration through architecture, history, and contemporary storytelling.


Alessandro Fisalli, Neeraj Mahajan, Marco Gastoldi, Edgar Navarrete, Cievanard Nattabowonphal, Jordan Demer, Chen Yien, Yuki Ishigami, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Claudia Hertrich, Gianluca Rovere, Antonio Laruffa, Nika Gasimbeyli, Paolo Pirri, Anna Spaggiari, Julian Salvadori, Giovanni Colombara, Edoardo D’Angelo

Droom en Daad Foundation

Bureau Polderman

IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs

CSM Steel Structures

Central Industry Group (CIG)

Beersnielsen Lichtontwerpers

Bosman Bedrijven

LBP Sight

Iwan Baan, Arch-Exist, Hufton+Crow

Fenix

Niku Rug is our contribution to the Architecture for Dogs exhibition, curated by Kenya Hara. Designed for the Labrador Retriever, the rug responds to the breed’s loyalty, sociability, and need for close contact with its owner.

Shaped like a cut of meat niku meaning “meat” in Japanese the rug is a woolen, DIY pad featuring marbled patterns in three colors to mimic the look of real meat. Offered in three sizes, it adapts as the dog grows from puppy to adult. Unlike fixed dog kennels, Niku Rug is mobile and can be placed throughout the home, reinforcing Labrador’s role as a close family companion.

The design combines function and humor, transforming everyday pet furniture into a playful architectural object. It reflects MAD's interest in scale, material, and the emotional bond between living beings and space.


Product

Niku Rug

On the morning of the opening ceremony, we placed a 9x9x9 feet ink ice on the China Millennium Monument and allowed it to melt with sunshine and wind for three consecutive days. The ice which is made from smoke ink of varied density, weighs 27 tons. The shape of the ink ice kept changing as it melted away and flowed in all directions on the square. The passers-by were drawn to the site, and they talked with each other about the scene with interest. In three days the ice ink as a solid entity disappeared, only leaving a black mark on the ground. The abstract symbols vanished as well, and a space for imagination in the time and the ink mark are all that is left behind.

Ink Ice

Ephemeral Bubble is our installation for the 2024 Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, located in Murono Village, Japan. Integrated into a century-old traditional house, the installation introduces a soft, translucent form that appears to emerge like a bubble from the wooden structure, adding a new, temporary space for gathering and reflection.

The biomorphic design draws from natural forms, emphasizing fluidity, lightness, and impermanence. The bubble’s surface reflects its surroundings, merging the old and new without imposing symbolism. This intentional “de-symbolization” allows the work to exist freely, bringing renewed cultural energy into the village without disrupting its historical context.

Inside, the bubble offers a spacious, undefined environment that can host performances, ceremonies, and informal gatherings. Soft light fills the interior, and the neutral palette reflects seasonal shifts in the surrounding landscape. The result is an immersive space for emotional and spiritual engagement.

By fusing contemporary design with a traditional rural setting, Ephemeral Bubble creates a space that is both rooted and transient, encouraging interaction while respecting the integrity of the site.


Echigo-Tsumari, Japan

Yu Nagasaki, Rozita Kashirtseva, Valentina Olivieri, Hu Jin-chang

Green Sigma Co.,Ltd.，Adachi Zoukeisha

Zhu Yumeng, Osamu Nakamura

Ephemeral Bubble

Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will see an ambitious urban development project that brings a vibrant cultural complex along the waterfront in Shenzhen, China. Numerous high-rises emerged over the past decade have become a contrasting backdrop for MAD’s design of the culture park: a 9.7-hectare piece of land occupied by a Museum of Craft and Design, and a Museum of Life and Science.

The scheme introduces a surreal, large-scale scene into the cityscape: an earth-sheltered architecture – an expansive green surface with a staggered layout of sculpturesque stones resting above, quietly settling into the landscape. Public exhibition spaces are spread across the ground floor, sunken into the ground.

The galleries speak to the surreal exterior, providing visitors with a unique experience that takes them on a journey through time and space. The stone-shaped buildings are mirrored on the interior, delivering flexible and stunning architectural effects. Reaching a height of 30 meters, it can house an exhibition of 5,000 sqm spread out horizontally. Natural light penetrates the exhibition space through subtle openings along the facade of the semi-concealed stones with stairs inviting visitors to climb up.


Li Cunhao, Zhang Chao, Neeraj Mahajan, Sun Shouquan, Zhang Yaohui, Huang Jinkun, Maria Corella, Kenji Hada, Lin Zi Han, Yu Lin, Yan Ran, Chen Yi-en , Liu Hailun, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Lei Kaiyun, Alessandro Fisalli, Edgar Navarrete S., Haruka Tomoeda, Lu Zihao

East China Architectural Design and Research Institute 

 Arup Engineering Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Shenzhen Branch 

RFR (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. 

Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Decoration & Landscape Design Research Institute Co., Ltd. 

Beijing NingXhiJing Lighting Design Co., Ltd. 

Kenya Hara (Nippon Design Center) 

Guangdong Qiyuan Architectural Engineering Design Institute Co., Ltd. 

Paimeng Transportation Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. 

China Urban Development Institute Co., Ltd. 

MIR, Proloog

Guo Xuan

Shenzhen Bay Culture Park

Blueprint Beijing is the architectural section of the first Beijing Biennial, curated by Ma Yansong and co-organized by MAD. Opening in January 2023, the exhibition brings together architects, artists, and collectives from around the world to explore the future of Beijing through models, installations, photography, and film.

The exhibition juxtaposes historical visions of the city with speculative ideas that reimagine its future. It features 20 invited architects and artists presenting site-specific works, eight collectives showcasing archival research, and four Chinese science fiction films that offer alternative urban narratives. Through this diverse collection, Blueprint Beijing fosters dialogue between past and future, tradition and innovation, local and global perspectives.

The blueprint, both a record of history and a tool for imagining what lies ahead, serves as a central theme. Architecture shapes cities over time, and this exhibition highlights how visionary thinking can transform urban life. It examines the tensions between preservation and development, individual and collective identity, and the evolving role of architects in shaping culture.

The exhibition’s concluding video installation poses fundamental questions about architecture’s role in connecting history with the future. Blueprint Beijing is both a reflection and a provocation, offering an open-ended platform for international dialogue on the city’s future while inviting broader participation in shaping a more inclusive and livable Beijing.


Ma Yansong

Fiona QI Ziying, WANG Yiqi, PENG Xie

: ZHENG Chengwen, YANG Xuebing, Edgar Navarrete S., Rozita KASHIRTSEVA, ZHANG Tong, YE Lanshan

LIU Danyang, LIU Guannan, Tammy XIE

Beijing Zijin Qinghua Construction Engineering Co., Ltd

GREEN VIEW

Shenzhen JYD Model Co., Ltd

LIU Hongjian, HUO Xin

Anouchka van DRIEL

Zhu Yumeng, I-Ting, Jerry Chen

Blueprint Beijing

Dixon joined MAD in 2008, having acted as Head of Operations for their Beijing office from 2008 to 2011. He is now in charge of managing MAD's practice in the United States and the Middle East, as well as managing operations, projects, and overall strategy of Los Angeles Office. Dixon helped to conceptualize and organize the firm’s installation in partnership with Olafur Eliasson, “Feelings are Facts” at UCCA.

Los Angeles Office

Located at the south side of the Workers Stadium East Gate in Beijing’s Central Business District, the concert hall covers a site of 11,600 sqm, and has a total floor area of 26,587 sqm.

The 1,600-seat main concert hall is laid out in a vineyard style, with the seating surrounding the stage; rising up in serried rows in the manner of the sloping terraces. Its wooden lakes organically surround the stage while the white sound reflection petals on the ceiling are designed to resemble the segments of a lotus flower. The natural light coming from above will make audience members feel as if they are in the center of a blooming flower. Lighting and visualizations can be projected onto the white petals and choreographed to match the musical performances. MAD has created an abstracted space that allows the audiences to escape from the city and retreat into various sceneries.

Adjacent to the lotus pond on the south side of the building is a 400-seat rehearsal hall. The interior is made of curved wooden walls designed for an optimal musical experience. The adjustable sound reflection panel behind the stage can be raised to bring natural light and views of the landscape into the space. The building also includes a professional recording studio, a library, a collection gallery, offices, rehearsal rooms, and other auxiliary function spaces.

Rooted in Eastern philosophy, the China Philharmonic Hall aims to create a new formula for concert hall design and introduce a space within the busy city that promotes conversations between people, nature, and music.



Fu Xiaoyi, Brecht Van Acker, Zeng Hao, Li Guangchong, Jacob Hu, Xiao Ying, Dora Lam, Zhao Wei, Shen Chen, Dmitry Seregin, Zhu Jinglu, Yukan Yanagawa, Wang Deyuan, Hiroki Fujino, Zheng Fang, Sear Nee

China Philharmonic Orchestra

Nagata Acoustics

Radio Film & Television Design & Research Institute (DRFT)

China Construction International (Shenzhen) Design Consultant Co., Ltd.

RFR Asia

SIGN Lighting

Beijing Honggao Interior Design Co., Ltd.

Palm Design Co., Ltd.

Beijing Homedale Institute of Urban Planning & Architectural Design

China Philharmonic Concert Hall

MAD won a competition in 2014 to design the museum that spans 11 acres. Envisioned as something otherworldly – like a cloud floating over the city – it creates a canopy that shades the park below, exploring the relationship between nature and the built urban environment.

The museum is comprised of gallery spaces, cinema theaters, a library, café and restaurants, along with an expansive landscaped rooftop that brings the greenery from the surrounding part up over the architecture. The terrace allows visitors to experience the museum from another perspective, while taking in panoramic views of Los Angeles.The five-storey museum is a personal project of American filmmaker George Lucas and will house his comprehensive collection of narrative art, comprising more than 10,000 pieces that include comics, illustrations, paintings, photographs, moving images, sculptures, and other works of art linked to movies, along with film memorabilia. This world class landmark project will be MAD’s first museum to be built in the US upon its completion in 2025.

Los Angeles, USA

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Hutong Bubble 32 is our first built prototype from its Beijing 2050 vision, originally presented at the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale. The concept reimagines Beijing’s rapid urban development through micro-scale interventions that preserve and adapt the historic hutong neighborhoods, rather than replacing them with large-scale developments.

Amid ongoing demolition and neglect of old Beijing’s alleyway districts, Hutong Bubble 32 offers a functional yet symbolic insertion into the decaying urban fabric. Installed in a small courtyard, the bubble houses a toilet and staircase leading to a rooftop terrace. It is designed not as a standalone object, but as an extension of community life, encouraging new uses and social interactions.

Its smooth, mirrored surface reflects the traditional wood, brick, and greenery of the courtyard, creating a contrast between old and new while visually blending into its surroundings. Rather than displacing existing residents or history, the bubble coexists with them, catalyzing neighborhood revitalization.

These bubbles are intended to gradually form a network of architectural “membranes” that reactivate the city’s cultural core. Hutong Bubble 32 is a small but powerful gesture, emphasizing that meaningful urban progress can happen through intimate, community-focused design.


Dai Pu, Yu Kui, Stefanie Helga Paul, He Wei, Shen Jianghai

Hutong Bubble 32

Dixon joined MAD in 2008, having acted as Head of Operations for their Beijing office from 2008 to 2011. He is now in charge of managing MAD's practice in the United States and the Middle East, as well as managing operations, projects, and overall strategy of Los Angeles Office. Dixon helped to conceptualize and organize the firm’s installation in partnership with Olafur Eliasson, “Feelings are Facts” at UCCA. 

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