Pioneering architecture studio MAD has designed a stunning canopy for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. The structure is a reinterpretation of traditional Chinese oil paper umbrellas, featuring a monumental floating form that doubles as a sheltered outdoor space next to the China Pavilion. (MAD also designed the China Pavilion.) Aptly called Chinese Paper Umbrella, the design offers relief from the external elements and a site of tranquility within a subtly shifting interior space.
The towering canopy was created using paper. It specifically uses Xuan paper, which is handmade from the tough bark of a Tara Wing-Celtis or Blue Sandalwood tree and rice straw. MAD also coated the umbrella with layers of tung oil to create a “breathable” surface that can withstand a variety of weather. “Venice’s maritime climate brings moderate shifts between day and night temperatures,” the studio explains, “and its weather is often unpredictable, alternating between strong sun, sudden rain, and occasionally strong winds.”
From a structural standpoint, Chinese Paper Umbrella is anchored by a sloping steel frame that makes the paper look as though it’s draped from it. There are gaps within the canopy to help ventilate the space, and a large opening acts as the entrance. Inside, wooden stools for sitting are placed underneath a built-in misting system for hot days. The central lighting changes as the day progresses, creating a warm glow as day becomes night. “As light moves across the oiled paper, the umbrella becomes a pavilion of shadow and glow, reflecting the rhythms of day and night,” MAD shares.
Chinese Paper Umbrella is an exercise in impermanence. The paper will naturally change over time, eroding to become more yellow as it endures sunlight and weather. This is by design. “Its gradual disappearance underscores the structure’s impermanence,” MAD says, “and offers a poetic reflection on how architecture and the natural world might coexist in thoughtful response to our changing climate.”
MAD’s designs are now on view at the Venice Architecture Biennale until November 23, 2025.
Pioneering architecture studio MAD has designed a stunning canopy for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.
The structure is a reinterpretation of traditional Chinese oil paper umbrellas, featuring a monumental floating form that doubles as a sheltered outdoor space next to the China Pavilion.
Aptly called Chinese Paper Umbrella, the design offers relief from the external elements and a site of tranquility within a subtly shifting interior space.
The central lighting changes as the day progresses, creating a warm glow as day becomes night.
Chinese Paper Umbrella is an exercise in impermanence.
The paper will naturally change over time, eroding to become more yellow as it endures sunlight and weather.
The canopy is now on view at the Venice Architecture Biennale until November 23, 2025.
