A Sculptural Cave

Designed by MAD Architects, the Cloudscape—a unique public and cultural space for citizens and visitors to Haikou—is a flowing, sculptural concrete form

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Project: The Cloudscape of Haikou, Hainan Province, China

Architects: MAD Architects, China

A prominent port city on the southern tip of China, Haikou was once an important stop on the Maritime Silk Road. With the establishment of the Hainan International Tourism Island and Hainan Free Trade Zone, Haikou’s influence has seen a gradual resurgence in modern times. Meanwhile, Haikou’s government is also enriching the city’s cultural importance, through enhancing the social attributes of the city’s public spaces and strengthening the connection between the city, humanities, and architecture. The project is one such culmination of this effort.

The Cloudscape of Haikou is the first of sixteen coastal pavilions commissioned by the Haikou Tourism and Culture Investment Holding Group to rejuvenate the historic port city, with the aim of improving public space along the coastline. Known as “Haikou, Pavilions by the Seaside,” the initiative invited teams of internationally recognized architects, artists, and interdisciplinary professionals to create sixteen landmark public stations.