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MAD Architects completes ‘train station in the forest’ in China

2024-02-07T13:38:00-05:00

MAD Architects has completed their overhaul of the Jiaxing Train Station in China, described by the firm as a “train station in the forest.” Located in the city of Jiaxing, 60 miles southwest of Shanghai, the project included the replacement of an outdated train station that occupied the site from 1995 to 2019.

Image credit: Lu Bing

Image credit: AC

MAD’s approach saw the full-scale recreation of an original 1907 station that stood on the site alongside a “floating” metal roof above an expanded site. In order to reconstruct the old station, the firm collaborated with architectural experts and scholars to analyze a large amount of historical data, with the 210,000 red and green bricks used to construct the station made of mud sourced from the nearby South Lake.

Image credit: CreatAR Images

Image credit: AC

Surrounding the reconstructed station, MAD sought to create a complex “more humane and efficient than its predecessor.” The interior of the new hub maintains a dialogue with the recrea...

MAD Architects unveils design for sinuous, multi-use civic center

2021-05-11T19:28:00-04:00

MAD Architects has unveiled its design for the Jiaxing Civic Center. Led by Ma Yansong, this is the firm’s latest major public project in Jiaxing since the unveiling of the Jiaxing Train Station earlier this year.

The Jiaxing Civic Center is situated along the city’s central axis, taking advantage of the river views and the lush vegetation that surrounds the area. The project has a significant position, sitting adjacent to the South Lake, a historic lake in the South of Jiaxing, and the Central Park, the largest park in the city. Spanning nearly 130,000 square meters, the site contains three venues: the Science and Technology Museum, the Women and Children Activity Center, and the Youth Activity Center.

Image: MAD Architects

For this project, MAD Architects has envisioned an artistic entity on an urban scale, where architectural forms and landscapes coalesce. The civic center is at once open and intimate. With its large circular lawn as the centerpiece, both people and the building...

MAD Architects unveils design for Jiaxing's "Train Station in the Forest"

2021-01-08T13:16:00-05:00

MAD Architects has unveiled their design for Jiaxing’s “Train Station in the Forest.” The project began construction near the end of 2019 and is expected to be completed by July 1st, 2021. The train station is located in the center of Jiaxing and the project as a whole covers an area of 35.4 hectares, which includes the Jiaxing Train Station, plazas to the north and south, and a renovation of the adjacent People's Park.

MAD's proposal drew inspiration from Jiaxing's history and culture. It includes a 1:1 rebuilding of the historic station building derived from archival investigations and a new underground train station.

The placement of the busy transportation junction underground frees space on the ground floor, allowing the People's Park to stretch through the site. In front reconstruction old station, a large collection of trees have been planted to provide natural shade and coverage for the plaza.

The original Jiaxing Train Station was built in 1907, and opened in 1909 as an imp...