The Centre Pompidou acquires 12 architectural models by MAD Architects

The Centre Pompidou in Paris has recently acquired 12 stunning architecture models that illustrate projects MAD have created between 2005 to the present day.

Each model embodies MAD’s core values that “look to envisioning a futuristic architecture that is akin to dream-like earthscapes – one that creates a conversation with nature, the earth, and the sky.”

Pingtan Art Museum model. Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 150x150x12 cm. Material(s).- paint, resin, wood. Scale.- 1:600

The collection, permanently acquired by the Pompidou, is a reflection demonstrating the evolution of the firm’s design process. The Pompidou has become the first major European cultural institution to acquire such a collection of MAD’s work, on display in an opening exhibition at the center in April 2019.

Each model represents various structural typologies, ranging from a contemporary kindergarten, residential towers, mixed-use complexes, and cultural buildings. Individually, each model also exhibits elements of artistic aptitude due to the level of precision and construction detail.

Founded in 2004 by Ma Yansong, MAD Architects have developed an extensive portfolio of built works. The 12 models express how MAD creates a “balance between humanity, the city, and the environment, with a particular sensibility towards the spiritual and emotional needs of inhabitants and their connection to nature.”

The models encompass built and unbuilt structures, such as the “Absolute Towers” in Canada, also known locally as the “Marilyn Monroe Towers”; the “Harbin Opera House” and “Chaoyang Park Plaza” in China; “Clover House” in Japan; and the “Lucas Museum of Narrative Art” in the USA.

Harbin Opera House (Section). Image by Shu He Harbin. Dimensions.- 128x90x63cm. Material(s).- paint, resin, wood. Scale.- 1:100

UNIC Residential. Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 60x52.5x39 cm. Material(s).- paint, resin, wood. Scale.- 1:200.

Harbin Opera House model. Image by Shu He. Dimensions.- 68x81.5x22 cm. Material(s).- paint, resin, wood. Scale.- 1:400

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (Los Angeles) model . Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 241x90x21 cm. Material(s).- paint, PVC, wood. Scale.- 1:300

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (Chicago). Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 120x80x40 cm. Material(s).- paint, resin, wood. Scale.- 1:500

Chaoyang Park Plaza. Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 29x60x30 cm. Material(s).- concrete, resin. Scale.- 1:400

Absolute Towers. Image © Fang Zhenning. Dimensions.- 111x56x125 cm. Material(s).- foam, PLA, plastic, wood. Scale.- 1:300

Clover House. Image Courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 32x27x23 cm Material(s).- acrylic, PVC, wood. Scale.- 1:100

East 34th model. Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 177x129x64 cm. Material(s).- resin, wood. Scale.- 1:100

Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center. Image © CreatAR Images. Dimensions.- 230x108x58 cm. Material(s):.- acrylic, crystal, PVC, wood. Scale.- 1:300

Yabuli CEF Conference Center. Image courtesy of MAD Architects. Dimensions.- 217x181x42cm. Material(s).- acrylic, PVC, wood. Scale.- 1:150

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More information

MA YANSONG

Ma Yansong is a Chinese architect, founder and principal partner of MAD Architects. He graduated from the Beijing University 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. Before founding MAD in Beijing in 2004, he began his professional career at Zaha Hadid's studio.

He has taught at the University of Southern California, Tsinghua University, and Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.

Since the founding of MAD in 2004, his works in architecture and art have been widely published and exhibited. His work also extends to exhibitions, publishing, product design and art, while his architectural practice has consistently explored the relationship between the built environment, landscape and nature.

Ma Yansong was awarded the 2006 Architecture League Young Architects Award. In 2008, he was selected as one of twenty influential young architects by ICON magazine, and Fast Company named him one of the ten most creative people in architecture in 2009. In 2010, he received the RIBA International Fellowship. In 2025, he was included in TIME's annual TIME100 list of the world's most influential people and curated the China Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2026, he was appointed international Guest Editor of Domus and elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (Hon. FAIA).

“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

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.

Published on: March 1, 2019

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metalocus, ÁNGEL TORNE

"The Centre Pompidou acquires 12 architectural models by MAD Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed

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