At the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, MAD Architects unveils Chinese Paper Umbrella, an outdoor pavilion that elegantly fuses traditional craftsmanship with responsive technology. Installed in the gardens of the China Pavilion, the project reflects the exhibition’s central theme – Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. — through a tactile, architectural reimagining of the classic Chinese oil-paper umbrella.
The pavilion’s structure draws on ancient material knowledge Xuan paper, traditionally used in calligraphy, is treated with multiple layers of tung oil to create a water-resistant yet translucent canopy. This allows the umbrella to withstand the maritime climate of Venice while producing a poetic, ever-changing interplay of light and shadow.
Beneath the canopy, visitors encounter a shift in atmosphere. Air circulates gently through the seams, light is softened, and temperature becomes perceptibly cooler — thanks in part to an embedded misting system that activates during heat. The inclusion of OPPLE Lighting’s Smart Dynamic Light (SDL) system enables the umbrella to adapt to ambient light conditions in real time, reinforcing the pavilion’s role as a sentient structure responsive to its environment.
This synthesis of ancient and contemporary techniques expresses MAD’s continued pursuit of emotionally resonant architecture. As the paper surface weathers — yellowing and softening over time — the umbrella reveals a key conceptual layer: a quiet meditation on impermanence. Rather than resisting decay, MAD embraces it as a natural process, integrating the life of the material into the experience of the space.
Through Chinese Paper Umbrella, MAD proposes an architecture that is adaptive yet sensitive, technologically advanced yet emotionally grounded — an architecture that breathes with its surroundings.
Editor
Anh Nguyên
Photo
MAD
