A shelter in the garden. "Chinese Paper Umbrella" China Pavilion in Venice by MAD

In the outdoor space of the China Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia 2025, MAD's work, Chinese Paper Umbrella, is an inspiring work that reimagines the idea of shelter through tradition and technology.

This delicate and unique proposal responds to the Biennale's theme, "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective", showcasing how Chinese construction tradition has evolved through technology and taking inspiration from the traditional Chinese oil-paper umbrella.

Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD. Photograph by MAD.

MAD's work was inspired by the tradition of an ancient material, using xuan paper as its main material. It's a paper coated with several layers of tung oil, typically used to protect wood, which in this case makes it translucent and waterproof. The structure renews the form and scale of this ancient craft, transforming it into an open-air space that offers shade and protection from the rain.

Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD. Photograph by MAD.

The project takes into account its location in Venice, a region with a maritime climate that exhibits moderate fluctuations between daytime and nighttime temperatures, and its weather is often unpredictable, alternating between intense sunshine, sudden downpours, and occasionally strong winds. Located at the end of the exhibition route in the Arsenale, the China Pavilion's outdoor garden offers a delicate space for relaxation.

Standing under the umbrella is like entering an intimate open-air theater, where visitors are immersed in the shifting light and subtle atmospheric changes. They experience changing patterns of light and shadow, along with a subtle temperature difference between inside and out.

The China Paper Umbrella is designed to adapt to its environment. Its semi-translucent surface and breathable seams keep it connected to the surrounding air and light. On hot, dry days, an integrated misting system activates at the top of the structure, refreshing the air and improving visitor comfort.

Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD. Photograph by MAD.

Traditional tung oil craftsmanship is combined with the technology MAD has integrated, implementing OPPLE Lighting's Smart Dynamic Light (SDL) system, which responds to changes in weather and daylight. As the light moves over the oiled paper, the umbrella becomes a pavilion of shadows and radiance, reflecting the rhythms of day and night.

The naturalness of the materials used means that, over time, this umbrella gradually degrades, serving as a poetic simile of the degradation of architecture and life, and as a reflection on climate change and our coexistence with it.

Axonometric Diagram. Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD.

Section and Plan. Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD.

Material Analysis Diagram. Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD.

Full-Spectrum Lighting. Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD.

Microclimate Regulation Diagram. Chinese Paper Umbrella. China Pavilion in Venice by MAD.

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More information

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Architects

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MAD.

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Design Team

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Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Jiang Yunyao, Zhou Rui, Yang Xuebing, He Linxi, Huang Juntao, Pan Siyi, Valentina Olivieri.

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Collaborators

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Lighting Partner.- OPPLE Lighting.
Structural Consultant.- RFR Shanghai.

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Dates

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10.05 > 23.11.2025.

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Location

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Arsenale – Magazzino Delle Cisterne, Castello 2169/F, 30122 Venice, Italy.

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Manufacturers

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Far East Façade.

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Photography

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MAD.

Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano. MAD

mad is a Beijing-based architecture design office dedicated to creating innovative projects. Founded by Ma Yansong in 2004, MAD Architects is led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano. It is committed to developing futuristic, organic, technologically advanced designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature. With a vision for the city of the future based on the spiritual and emotional needs of residents, MAD endeavours to create a balance between humanity, the city, and the environment.

MAD's projects encompass urban planning, urban complexes, municipal buildings, museums, theatres, concert halls, and housing, as well as art and design. Their projects are located in China, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. In 2006, MAD won the design competition for the Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada. Through this, MAD became the first Chinese architecture firm to build a significant high-rise project abroad. In 2014, MAD was selected as the principal designer for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, USA, becoming the first China-based architecture firm to design an overseas cultural landmark. MAD’s signature cultural projects include Ordos Museum (2011, China), Harbin Opera House (2015, China), Tunnel of Light (2018, Japan), China Philharmonic Concert Hall (under construction), Yiwu Grand Theater (under construction), FENIX Museum of Migration in Rotterdam (under construction), Cloudscape of Haikou (2021, China), and Shenzhen Bay Culture Square (under construction). Other urban projects include the Clover House kindergarten (2015, Japan), Chaoyang Park Plaza (2017, China), China Entrepreneur Forum Conference Centre (2021, China), Jiaxing Train Station (under construction), Quzhou Sports Campus (under construction), and Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center (under construction), among others.

While practising architecture, MAD documents and discusses its reflections on architecture, culture, and arts through publications, architectural exhibitions, as well as academic lectures and presentations. MAD’s publications include Mad Dinner, Bright City, MA YANSONG: From (Global) Modernity to (Local) Tradition, Shanshui City, and MAD X. MAD has organized and participated in several contemporary art and design exhibitions, including MAD X, a solo exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in 2019; Shanshui City, at UCCA in 2014; Feelings are Facts, a spatial experience exhibition with artist Ólafur Eliasson at UCCA in 2010; and MAD in China, a solo exhibition at the Danish Architectural Center, Copenhagen in 2007. MAD has participated in significant exhibitions at several iterations of the Venice Architecture Biennale and Milan Design Week. MAD has also participated in exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Copenhagen), and MAXXI (Rome). An array of MAD’s architecture models have been acquired by the Centre Pompidou and M+ Museum (Hong Kong) as part of their permanent collections.

MAD has offices in Beijing (China), Jiaxing (China), Los Angeles (USA), and Rome (Italy).

Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano and Qun Dand.

MA YANSONG

Ma Yansong is a Beijing-born architect (1975) recognized as an important voice in a new generation of architects. He graduated from the Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Ma attended Yale University after receiving the American Institute of Architects Scholarship for Advanced Architecture Research in 2001 and holds a master's degree in Architecture from Yale.

He shares his knowledge as an adjunct professor at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Tsinghua University, and the University of Southern California. Ma Yansong's journey is a continuous narrative unfolding, exploring innovation and pushing the boundaries of what we perceive as the built environment.

Since the founding of MAD in 2004, his works in architecture and art have been widely published and exhibited. Ma Yansong was awarded the 2006 Architecture League Young Architects Award. In 2008 he was selected as one of the twenty most influential Young Architects today by ICON magazine and Fast Company named him one of the ten most creative people in architecture in 2009. In 2010 he became the first architect from China to receive a RIBA fellowship.

“I work with emotion and with the context. When I design a building, I close my eyes and feel as if I saw a virtual world which lays half way between the city, the nature and the land. It goes from large scale to small scale. Many things travel in front of my eyes; I feel them and try to find the way to express my feelings. The language I use is the least important of it all. It does not matter whether they are straight lines, curves... I only intend for people to feel the same or to find something unexpected” says Ma Yansong. “MAD is an attitude, a posture towards architecture, towards society. Through our work we want people to be inspired by a place through local nature, time and space”, he states.

Photograph by Daniel J.Allen

Published on: June 19, 2025

Cite:

metalocus, SARA GENT, CARLOS GARCÍA BAENA

"A shelter in the garden. "Chinese Paper Umbrella" China Pavilion in Venice by MAD" METALOCUS. Accessed

<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/shelter-garden-chinese-paper-umbrella-china-pavilion-venice-mad> ISSN 1139-6415