MAD Architects Archives

Museums

A Floating Silver Cloud Becomes China’s Newest Science Museum

June 3, 2026 Museums

A scenic view of a winding river surrounded by lush greenery in the foreground, with modern buildings and a unique stadium structure visible in the background under a cloudy sky.

Rising beside a tropical wetland in Haikou, China, the new Hainan Science Museum looks less like a building and more like a cloud suspended above the landscape.

Modern architectural structure with smooth, curved surfaces and glass elements, surrounded by landscaped greenery.

Designed by MAD Architects, the 46,500-square-meter structure takes inspiration from the invisible air currents that form clouds, resulting in a fluid, silver form that appears to hover over reflecting pools.

A group of students wearing yellow hats walking towards a modern architectural building with a unique, swirling design.

Its seamless exterior is made up of 843 uniquely shaped panels, creating a sculptural shell that feels both futuristic and organic.

Three individuals photographing a modern, curved building surrounded by greenery in an urban setting.

Inside, visitors follow a continuous spiral path through exhibitions on space, oceans, ecosystems, and technology, with a central skylight flooding the interior with natural light.

A close-up view of a modern architectural building featuring smooth, curved metallic surfaces and large glass windows, reflecting warm sunlight in the foreground.

“ Its seamless exterior is made up of 843 uniquely shaped panels, creating a sculptural shell that feels both futuristic and organic. “

An astronaut figurine suspended in a spiral atrium, with a large moon model hovering above and two individuals observing below.

Rather than dividing exhibits into separate rooms, the museum encourages exploration through a single flowing journey.

A group of children in matching uniforms and white hats explore a vibrant, immersive environment filled with digital trees and colorful flowers. The walls are adorned with glowing nature-themed projections, and there are easels present in the space.

Depending on where visitors begin, the experience unfolds either from earth to sky or from cosmos to coast.

A spacious modern interior featuring white curved walls, an astronaut model and a globe suspended from the ceiling, with a group of children walking in the foreground.

Alongside galleries, the museum includes a planetarium, giant-screen theater, and outdoor learning spaces, making it one of China’s most ambitious science destinations.

Interior of an aquarium exhibit featuring a colorful submarine and interactive displays about marine exploration, with visitors observing the display.

Like much of MAD’s work, the project blends architecture, landscape, and storytelling into something that feels both imaginative and deeply connected to its surroundings.

Modern architectural design featuring a futuristic building surrounded by greenery and trees.

Aerial view of a modern building resembling a futuristic design, surrounded by urban landscape, with roads and a body of water nearby, during dusk.

Images courtesy of MAD Architects.

Architecture

Massive Chinese Paper Umbrella at Venice Biennale

July 5, 2025 Architecture

MAD Architects have unveiled an elegant installation at the China Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.

The large, swooping form of the material creates a welcoming tent-like structure, inviting participants to come inside and gaze up at the sail-like qualities.

Created using traditional Chinese oil paper umbrella techniques, the paper is painstakingly coated with layers of tung oil, giving it a translucent yet water-resistant quality.

A poetic fusion of history and innovation, the installation balances centuries of craft with modernity, like a lighting system that reacts to the weather, and adds color and ambience to its setting.

See more on Urdesign:

An elegant installation by MAD Architects at the China Pavilion, featuring a conical white structure illuminated at dusk, surrounded by greenery and trees.

A woman standing under a large, elegant white installation at the China Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, surrounded by greenery.

An elegant tent-like installation designed by MAD Architects at the China Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, surrounded by trees and fog.

Three silhouetted figures standing in front of a colorful, fog-covered installation at the China Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.

An illuminated, elegant fabric structure resembling a tent, with a warm orange glow, set against a twilight sky in a park setting.

A group of women sitting on small stools inside a large, ethereal white installation, with a circular opening at the top emitting soft light and surrounded by a misty atmosphere.

Images © Copyright MAD Architects.

Architecture

Fascinating New Building in Denver Features a Facade That “Cracks Open”

October 16, 2024 Architecture

This glass tower in Denver has a distinguishing characteristic that feels hard to describe, and must be seen to understand.

Called One River North, the apartment block has a large ‘crack’ in its facade, exposing a plaster, almost cave-like interior inside.

It’s a highly distinctive and unusual feature, one that gives a nod to Colorado’s beautiful topography, and also brings a unique opportunity for terraces on the building.

Designed by international firm MAD Architects, the building’s ‘canyon’ meanders down the 15 story height, creating openings that are fascinating to look at, and give an organic feel to what could otherwise be a traditional glass tower.

Cafe spaces, private terraces, and a stairway make this facade truly unique.

Via Dezeen:

“The canyon looks like a natural space cracking open a modern box,” MAD Architects principal Ma Yansong told Dezeen.

“In this vertical canyon, we’ve introduced gardens, outdoor spaces, and water features that connect all the indoor amenities, allowing residents and visitors to step outside and enjoy the spaces and views from multiple levels.”

$The 15-story One River North tower in Denver, its facade fractured by MAD Architects' canyon design$

Architecture

New High Rise in Denver to Feature Canyon Running Through the Facade

November 16, 2021 Architecture

We appreciate it when architects are able to create exteriors that feel truly new and exciting. In a sea of rectilinear boxes, standing out is refreshing.

The new One River North tower in Denver, Colorado, feels especially new, with a glass facade that cuts through the middle in a sort of organic, stepped canyon. Modeled after the Colorado landscape, the building is the work of Chinese studio MAD Architects. They are known for especially organic forms, and dramatic buildings that end up defining the areas around them.

The signature ‘landscaped rift’ will span ten stories, and feature water features and elaborate terraced gardens. Indeed, the rift will feature the first-of-its-kind ‘nature trail’ that covers 13,000 square feet, creating a new type of building experience.

We are excited to see how this design plays out, and if it will inspire other similar architecture in the future.

Via Dezeen:

“One River North is the model for how we should be living, surrounding ourselves in the natural environment, bringing nature into our homes and creating authentic, biophilic experiences coupled with modern comforts and conveniences”

“If we regard modern cities as man-made landscape on the earth, we need to design canyons, woods, creeks, and waterfalls, transforming concrete forests into second nature,” said MAD founder and principal Ma Yansong.

– Dezeen

Architecture

Chaoyang Park Plaza in Beijing

January 10, 2020 Architecture

Located in the heart of the central business district, the Chaoyang Park Plaza designed by MAD Architects is nearing completion, and it’s one for the ages. Looking like something out of the year 2117, Chaoyang Park Plaza is a complex of multiple buildings that are designed to mimic the mountain cliffs and river landscapes of China. The tallest building reaches 120 meters, and is flanked by it’s siblings, with organic, undulating forms of curving glass. The buildings’ futuristic forms look like nothing else in the world of skyscrapers, and are set to make a permanent mark on Beijing’s skyline. Multi-level terraces on the top feature public gardens and a great viewing platform to peer down on the city below.

We have an unabashed love of skyscrapers and architecture, and applaud bold efforts like Chaoyang Park Plaza, and the cities that embrace them. Read more on DesignBoom:

this project transforms the traditional model of buildings in a modern city’s central business district,’ explains MAD architects. ‘by exploring the symbiotic relationship between modern urban architecture and natural environment, it revives the harmonious co-existence between urban life and nature. it creates a shanshui city where people can share their individual emotions and a sense of belonging.’