MAD’s first completed cultural project in Europe, Fenix, is a new art museum about migration, located in Rotterdam’s historic port district. The museum officially opened to the public on May 15, 2025. Rotterdam is one of Europe's most prominent cities of migration, home to residents from over 170 countries and regions.
Architecture firm
MAD Architects
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Photography
Iwan Baan, Arch-Exist, Hufton+Crow
Principal architect
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team
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
Collaborators
Associate Partner in Charge: Andrea D’Antrassi; Heritage Renovation: Bureau Polderman; Executive Architect: EGM; Construction Advisor: IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs; Steel Constructor: CSM Steel Structures; Cladding Constructor: Central Industry Group (CIG); Lighting Consultant: Beersnielsen Lichtontwerpers; Installation Design: Bosman Bedrijven; Installation Advisor: DWA; Building Physics Advisor: LBP Sight; Facade Consultant / Light Study: RFR
Built area
Gross Internal Area: 16,000 m² across two floors; Green Roof Area: 6,750 m²
Lighting
Beersnielsen Lichtontwerpers
Construction
Construction Advisor: IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs; Steel Constructor: CSM Steel Structures; Cladding Constructor: Central Industry Group (CIG)
Client
Droom en Daad Foundation
Typology
Cultural Architecture > Museum, Renovation
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
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 Architects, officially opened on Friday, May 9 at the Arsenale.
Title
CO-EXIST: Pavilion of China at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia
Eligibility
Open to public
Organizer
Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China
Date
May 10, 2025 - November 23, 2025
Venue
Arsenale - Magazzino Delle Cisterne, Castello 2169/F - 30122 Venezia, Italy
The Pavilion of China at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, titled CO-EXIST, curated by Ma Yansong, founder and principal partner of MAD Architects, and organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s republic of China, will open to the public on Saturday May 10 at the Arsenale.
Title
Pavilion of China at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia
Category
Architecture & Design
Eligibility
Open to public
Organizer
Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China
Date
May 10, 2025 - November 23, 2025
Venue
Arsenale - Magazzino Delle Cisterne, Castello 2169/F - 30122 Venezia, Italy
Ma Yansong, founder and principal of the global design firm MAD, has been named to TIME magazine’s 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential People.
Written by
MAD Architects
Photography
Sand Hill Media, Eric Furie
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
In September 2024, as part of his debut architectural documentary series, A Rhapsody of Cities, Ma Yansong explored the cultural and architectural essence of six cities—Paris, Barcelona, Los Angeles, New York, Rotterdam, and Stuttgart—through conversations with renowned guests.
Written by
MAD Architects
Photography
MAD Architects
