Archinect - Features

‘I Seek To Create an Escape From Everyday Life’; A Conversation With Ma Yansong of MAD Architects

2022-10-15T07:16:00-04:00

Much has changed for Ma Yansong since Archinect last spoke to him in 2014. From their roots in Beijing, China, Yansong’s firm MAD Architects has expanded to offices in Los Angeles and Rome, employing over 160 people on major architectural commissions. In 2022 alone, our editorial has offered updates on the firm’s work across continents, be it the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, the Cloud Center in Aranya, China, or the commercial MoLo complex in Milan. Added to this list in October was the Quzhou Sports Park, whose newly-completed stadium marks the first step in what will become the world’s largest earth-sheltered complex.

Following news of the stadium’s completion, Archinect’s Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with Ma Yansong for an insight into the project, and how it represents MAD’s architectural philosophy. We also use the discussion to reflect on Yansong’s own journey through architecture, his role in MAD, and his thoughts on nature, cities, and history. The discussion, ...

Beijing-Based Rocker-Turned-Architect Cao Pu Sees Architects as Social Workers

2017-08-21T09:30:00-04:00

Originally part of an electric-rock band, Chinese architect Cao Pu began his architectural career doing stage design for his musical group. Today, his studio remains small with a focus on conversion and community revival projects and his designs demonstrate a talent for working within small spaces and low budgets.

For this week's iteration of Small Studio Snaphshots, we talk with the musician-turned-architect about involving clients in his process, designing "in the gap," and architecture as a form of social work.

The People’s Architecture Office Uses Mass-Production and Readymades to Deliver Affordable Architecture to Difficult Sites

2017-03-07T12:21:00-05:00

With a name like theirs, it’s no surprise that the People’s Architecture Office strives for inclusive, socially conscious and accessible design. The Beijing-based studio has developed a practice that takes advantage of aspects of the Chinese economy to deliver affordable, contemporary design to difficult sites, from historic hutong districts to rural areas.

In honor of the Rio Games, 6 momentous projects from the Olympics' 21st-century history

2016-08-05T12:28:00-04:00

20 kilometer long traffic jams, eleven dead construction workers, and one slain jaguar: the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics has not been problem-free. Zika, pollution and political turmoil came alongside construction delays and problematic venues, with competitors refusing to move into the athletes' village until the wiring was fixed. And yet, aren't these types of problems just par for the course when it comes to the Olympics?

Screen/Print #38: Ma Yansong of MAD Architecture's "Shanshui City"

2015-12-21T18:16:00-05:00

Part humanist wake-up call, part architecture manifesto, Ma Yansong’s Shanshui City emerges at a critical point for Chinese urbanism, as urban development accelerates to a breakneck speed of environmental damage and social concessions. Yansong draws stark lines between the Beijing he grew up in and the Beijing where he founded MAD Architects, pointing to the now-endangered urbanist details that made the city of his childhood livable and beautiful. Shanshui City is Yansong’s conceptual strategy for how architecture in Beijing, and elsewhere in the developing world, must retain what is so easily lost – they key being integration with nature.

Showcase: Garden School / Beijing No.4 High School Fangshan Campus by OPEN Architecture

2014-11-14T19:41:00-05:00

Taking cues from the urban and pastoral, Beijing No. 4 High School (aka Garden School) strives not only to model elite Chinese public education, but also to also drive development in its relatively new town of Fangshan.

ShowCase: Liyuan Library by Li Xiaodong/Atelier

2012-10-24T19:19:00-04:00

ShowCase is an on-going feature series on Archinect, presenting exciting new work from designers representing all creative fields and all geographies.

We are always accepting nominations for upcoming ShowCase features - if you would like to suggest a project, please send us a message.