Architecture studio MAD Architects has unveiled a round pavilion topped with a distinctive roof called The Never Hut in Foshan, China.
Created for The Guangdong Nanhai Land Art Festival, the round hut in the village of Yanqiao sits alongside a river on the site of a school’s former playground.
For the pavilion, MAD Architects aimed to pay “tribute to the collective childhood memories” and channel the site’s history to create a playful structure that would be a community asset.
“This project is about capturing the freedom and wonder of childhood while providing a space for the community to gather, reflect, and imagine what lies ahead,” said MAD Architects founder Ma Yansong. “The Never Hut is a celebration of imagination and community – a space where childhood memories find a new home.”
The structure has a simple form with a bright pink, enclosed central space that acts as a servery, surrounded by an open area for sitting or gathering.
It is topped with a “flying saucer-shaped” roof that is supported on a ring of steel columns.
Bright yellow steps lead up to the raised platform, while a trio of colourful discs made from local fishing nets protrude from the top of the structure.
The pavilion follows MAD Architects’ previous installation in Nanhai District named Timeless Beacon.
Founded in 2004 by Yansong, MAD Architects is one of China’s best-known architecture studios.
Recent projects by the studio include a residential building in Denver with a “cracked open” facade and a giant bubble added to a century-old Japanese house. We recently rounded up 10 projects by the studio with distinctive sculptural forms.
The photography is by Tian Fangfang and Zhu Yumeng.
