MADs proposal for a new cultural center in Zhuhai is unveiled showcasing a conservationist approach to Urban Development

Plans for a proposed cultural center in China’s southern Guangdong region have been released as MAD becomes the latest to enter its name in a competition for an urban renewal project that is equal parts conservation and inspiration, leaving intact the historic past while keeping an eye on the region’s glittering future. Dominated by a massive floating dome, the studio’s vision for a new cultural arts center covers a centuries-old coastal village located on a peninsula on the northern tip of Zhuhai, the country’s most livable city.  Zhuhai Cultural Arts Center model, by MAD ArchitectsThe dome’s structure is comprised of a cable membrane layered over the village’s former plaza and a plethora of scattered small-scale buildings meant to preserve some of the original charm lost to the massive development boom that followed its designation as a Special Economic Zone in 1980. Urban renewal in China, especially in historic districts, should be preserved, revived, and re-created, instead of ...