Inspired by the traditional Chinese oil paper umbrella, the installation uses Xuan paper as its main material. The paper is coated multiple times with tung oil to make it both translucent and water-resistant. The structure gives new form and scale to this ancient craft, transforming it into an outdoor space that offers shade from the sun and shelte...
Project name
Chinese Paper Umbrella
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Location
Arsenale – Magazzino Delle Cisterne, Castello 2169/F, 30122 Venice, Italy
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Jiang Yunyao, Zhou Rui, Yang Xuebing, He Linxi, Huang Juntao, Pan Siyi, Valentina Olivieri
Collaborators
Fabrication: Far East Facade
Completion year
May 10 – November 23, 2025
Structural engineer
RFR Shanghai
Typology
Installation › Cultural Architecture
Architecture and Emotion” opened on May 16, 2025, at the Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands. The Nieuwe Instituut is the Netherlands’ national museum for architecture, design, and digital culture, dedicated to exploring the potential of new ideas through exhibitions, research, and public programs.
Written by
MAD Architects
Photography
MAD Architects
At the heart of Rotterdam's Katendrecht peninsula, Fenix occupies a century-old structure that was once part of the world’s largest transshipment warehouse for the Holland America Line, a company that facilitated the migration of millions, including figures like Albert Einstein and Willem de Kooning. The centerpiece of its transformation is the Tor...
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Photography
Henry Verhorst (Drone Footage), Mark Bolk, Gregg Telussa, Wilbert Zuiderduin
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
Alessandro Fisalli, Neeraj Mahajan, Marco Gastoldi, Edgar Navarrete, Cievanard Nattabowonphal, Jordan Demer, Chen Yien, YukiIshigami, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Claudia Hertrich
Collaborators
Associate Partner in Charge: Andrea D’Antrassi; Executive Architect: EGM; Monumental Architecture Renovation: Bureau Polderman; Installation Design: Bosman Bedrijven; Installation Advisor: DWA; Building Physics Advisor: LBP Sight
Built area
8,000 m²; Gross Internal Area: 16,000 m²
Site area
Tornado Specifications: Height: 30 m; Ramp Length: 550 m; Cladding Area: 4,000 sqm Polished Stainless Steel
Structural engineer
IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs
Lighting
Beersnielsen Lichtontwerpers
Construction
Steel Constructor: CSM Steelstructures; Cladding Constructor: Central Industry Group (CIG)
Client
Droom en Daad Foundation
Typology
Cultural Architecture > Museum, Renovation
More than just an apartment building, One River North is a vertical landscape for its residents to wander as if hiking in the mountains. "Imagine living in a building yet feeling as though you're immersed in a natural landscape—like living within a canyon itself," says MAD Principal Architect, Ma Yansong.
Project name
One River North
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Location
Denver, Colorado, USA
Photography
Iwan Baan, Parrish Ruiz De Velasco and Vic Ryan
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
Jon Kontuly, Flora Lee, Peng Xie, Edwin Cho, Horace Hou, Yunfei Qiu, Evan Shaner, Shawna Chengxiang Meng
Interior design
The Interior Studio at Davis Partnership Architects
Collaborators
Davis Partnership Architects (Executive Architect)
Civil engineer
Kimley-Horn
Structural engineer
Jirsa Hedrick
Environmental & MEP
ME Engineers
Landscape
Davis Partnership Architects
Construction
Saunders Construction
Client
The MAX Collaborative
Typology
Residential Architecture › Apartments
Tencent, one of the global leaders in internet and technology services, is developing its new headquarters campus on five parcels spanning over 80 hectares east of Da Chan Bay Island in Qianhai, Bao'an District, Shenzhen. The campus will have a total floor area of approximately 2 million square meters.
Project name
Tencent Shenzhen Headquarters Project Lot 04 East
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
COMPETITION TEAM: Antoine Muller, Wang Shuobin, Ma Yiran, Yin Jianfeng, Claudia Hertrich, Jose Maria Urbiola, Reinier Simons, Fu Xiaoyi, Zhu Yuhao, Alan Rodríguez Carrillo, Zhou Haimeng, Li Hui; DESIGN TEAM: Liu Hailun, Fu Xiaoyi, Zeng Hantao, Sun Yingna, Liu Zifan, Song Minzhe, Zhao Guijia, Jose Maria Urbiola, Tan Miao, Rozita Kashirtseva, Li Jiaqi, Antoine Muller, Alan Rodríguez Carrillo, Yu Lin, Feng Xuhui, Zhang Kai, Wu Qiaoling, Yang Wenzhi, Chen Hongbin, Hou Jinghui, Sun Feifei, Wang Ruipeng, Yoshio Fukumori, Li Lingfeng, Yin Jianfeng, Zhou Qinyuan, Cheng Xiangju, Du Jie, Na Kyung Eun
Collaborators
Associate Partner in Charge: Kin Li, Xu Chen, Project Management: Arcadis Shanghai Limited. - Curtain Wall Consultant: SuP Ingenieure GmbH, Shenzhen Fangda Building Technology Group Co., Ltd., China Construction Buer Curtain Wall & Decoration Co., Ltd. - Interior Design: MAD Architects, Woods Bagot Architectural Design Consultants (Beijing) Co Ltd., Shenzhen Jiang & Associates Creative Design, China Academy of Building Research, - Signage Consultant: Brand U Creative Studio Shanghai Co. Transportation Consultant: T. Y. Lin International Engineering Consulting (China) Co. Ltd. - Acoustic Consultant: GRANDY Engineering Consultants (Shanghai) Ltd. - Commercial Consultant: Shenzhen Champion Retail Operation Management Co., Ltd. - LID Consultant: Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co., Ltd. - BIM Consultant: Shenzhen Jiarui Construction Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Built area
Approximately 72,000 m²
Site area
Approximately 412,000 m²
Interior design
MAD Architects, Woods Bagot Architectural Design Consultants (Beijing) Co Ltd., Shenzhen Jiang & Associates Creative Design, China Academy of Building Research Lighting Consultant: Lighting Planners Associates Inc. & Lighting Planners Associates (S) Pte. Ltd., China Academy of Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD)
Landscape
SWA Group, Shenzhen Hope Design Co., Ltd.
Civil engineer
Meinhardt (Shenzhen) Ltd.
Structural engineer
Meinhardt (Shenzhen) Ltd.
Environmental & MEP
WSP Engineering Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Green Building Consultant: AtkinsRéalis
Lighting
Lighting Planners Associates Inc. & Lighting Planners Associates (S) Pte. Ltd., China Academy of Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD
Construction
China Construction 4th Engineering Bureau 6th Corp., Limited
Client
Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
Typology
Office Building › Office Campus
The ZGC Forum is an international conference focused on innovation and technology held annually in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing's Haidian District. This area, blends nature and history with modernity and technological advancements. It's near historical landmarks like Yuquan Mountain, the Summer Palace, and Yuanmingyuan Garden, alongside prestig...
Project name
ZGC International Innovation Center
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Photography
Arch Exist, CreatAR Images, Zhu Yumeng, ChillShine
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
Zhou Rui, Zhuang Fan, Hu Jing-Chang, Liu Yiqing, Xue Yawen, Yang Xuebing, Edgar Navarrete, Zheng Chengwen, Wang Shuobin, Wu Qiaoling, Alan Rodriguez Carrillo
Collaborators
Associate Partners in Charge: Fu Changrui, Kin Li - Executive Architect: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd. The First Architectural Design Institute - Curtain Wall Consultant: Inhabit (Beijing) Ltd. - Floodlighting Consultant: TORYO International Lighting Design (Beijing) Center Co., Ltd. - Signage Consultant: To Three Design - Acoustic and Video Consultant: Radio, Film and Television Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Built area
64,998 m² (Above ground: 20,000 m², Underground: 44,998 m²)
Interior design
MAD Architects, Beijing BIAD Decoration Engineering& Design Co., Ltd.
Landscape
MAD Architects, Guangzhou S.P.I Design Co., Ltd.
Lighting
Beijing TaiFu GuangDa Lighting Design Inc.
Client
Zhongjie (Beijing) Development and Construction Co., Ltd.
Typology
Office Building › Conference Center
MAD Architects has completed Jiaxing Train Station, the firm’s first transportation infrastructure reconstruction and expansion project. Located at the center of Jiaxing, a historic city 100 kilometers southwest of Shanghai, the project replaces a dysfunctional train station that had stood at the site between 1995 and 2019.
Project name
Jiaxing Train Station
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Photography
CreatAR Images
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
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,
Collaborators
Associate Partners in Charge: Liu Huiying, Tiffany Dalhen; Executive Architects: Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd., China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd.; Heritage Consultant: Shanghai Shuishi Architectural Design & Planning Corp.,Ltd.; Signage Consultant: NDC CHINA, Inc.; Façade Consultant: RFR Shanghai.
Built area
around 330,000 m²
Interior design
Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Decoration & Landscape Design Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Landscape
Z’scape Landscape Planning and Design
Structural engineer
LERA Consulting Structural Engineers
Lighting
Beijing Sign Lighting Industry Group
Construction
China Railway Construction Engineering Group, China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group, China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Co., Ltd.
Client
Jiaxing Modern Service Industry Development & Investment (Group) Co., Ltd.
Typology
Train Station › Urban Renewal, Urban Planning, Transportation Infrastructure, Mixed-Use
The object of the renovation is the "Wanmicang" warehouse on the southside of the Shanghai Zhangjiang Cement Factory. MAD's renovation envisions a three-dimensional hierarchy of time and physical dimensions through the juxtaposition of old and new structures. Like a rising ark, the transformed building will bring new life to the decaying industrial...
Project name
The Ark | Shanghai Cement Factory Warehouse Renovation
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
Zheng Chengwen, Zhang Tong, Zhou Rui, Shiko Foo
Interior design
MAD Architects
Collaborators
Associate Partner in Charge: Fu Changrui; Executive Architects: Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd.; Façade Consultant: Shanghai CIMA Engineering Consulting Co. Ltd.
Built area
15,312 m²; Building height: 24 metres
Structural engineer
Archi-Neering-Design/AND Office
Landscape
Design Land Collaborative Ltd.
Lighting
TS Shanghai Tunsten Lighting Design Co., Ltd.
Client
Shanghai Quan Cheng Development & Construction Co., Ltd.
Typology
Factory › Industrial, Renovation
