MAD Architects new project opens in China

An outer skin designed for tropical climate

The façade is the project’s most technically considered element. The curtain wall system uses FRP (Fibre-Reinforced Plastic), chosen specifically for its strong three-dimensional forming capabilities, and the entire façade is composed of 843 uniquely shaped panels. No two are identical. The reasons to opt for FRP over other materials are numerous: the ability to shape the panels as desired, the longevity of fibreglass in harsh climates, and the lightweight nature of the material, which makes the billowing cantilever of the ‘updraft’ form possible. Designed specifically for Hainan’s tropical climate, the panels incorporate open seams and water-guiding grooves for effective drainage, ensuring durability in a persistently humid environment. The reflective surface shifts with light and weather, so the building never reads the same way twice. Structurally, the building is divided into 92 planar trusses organised into two hierarchical levels of primary and secondary steelwork, a layered approach that facilitates the connection between the main structure and the curved façade whilst improving constructability and future maintenance.

A project echoing Lucas Art Museum in US

It is worth noting that MAD is applying FRP at scale across two continents simultaneously. 12,000 km away, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles is also clad in FRP – 1,500 panels – making both buildings part of a broader reappraisal of the material’s potential in ambitious public architecture.

Inside, the column-free main structure, itself a significant structural achievement, is organised around a spiralling ramp ascending through five above-ground storeys, with a glass dome flooding the central atrium with natural light. The building is elevated off the ground, allowing the wetland landscape to flow underneath it uninterrupted. The whole project, from concept in 2020 to opening in 2025, makes a clear case that FRP has moved well beyond novelty into a material capable of carrying the formal ambitions of major civic architecture.