Interview with Ma Yansong

Ma Yansong is Founder of MAD office,beijing.He was Graduated from School of Architecture Yale Universiry in 2002 with Master’s degree in Architecture and awarded the Samuel J.Fogelson Memorial Award of Design Excellence. He is also the winner of Architeture League New York’s “Young Achitect Award” in 2006.He worked with Zaha Hadid Architects and Eisenman Architects as a project designer and taught at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts.

domus:Why did your project “Marilyn Monroe” win the final bid for the program Absolut,Canada?
Ma Yansong:I think there are two major reasons: the first one is the public pressure.The public is very fond of this program. Maybe they felt the typical square box is too boring,they hoped for building with a unique figure.The second reason is that those judges found my project maneuverable,meaning they could reach the desired results without spending huge amounts of money.We planned this form in a simple way.

domus:What are the major problems that concern you in architecture?
Ma Yansong:Concepts,different concepts for different places at different times.

domus:Specifically speaking,what concepts do you want to express in the “Hongluo Lake Villa”project?
Ma Yansong:The site of”Hongluo Lake Villa”is located in a natural environment with hills and lakes.The house is built on the bridge spanning the lake.At the beginning,they told me to find a place on the lakeshore to build it,but i decided to build it on the bridge so we could get closer to the water.Bridges are most commonly used for crossing,but now my design neables people to sit,swim and do other activities could be accommodated in several spaces under the same roof.Because i think it is inconsistent to ask people to follow a straight line in such a natural palce,when we have a house like this,we can walk and enjoy ourselves freely.

domus:I remember once in an interview you mentioned that you like”real”and”simple”buildings,but that seems contrary to your architectural style,since your buildings always have a complicated form.
Ma Yansong:I don’t think these two are contradictory.”simple”here means”nonrestricted”and “free”.People can enjoy those buildings with fewer restrictions.It doestn’t mean they are lacking in contents orhave a simple appearance.Take the square box as an example:it looks simple,but behind it there are lots of rules and regulations and so on.The building i designed looks complicated,which reflects my complex design work.People in my building should only feel freedom and inspiration,this is the simplicity i want to achieve.

domus:How do you ensure your buildings have a “free” form,or do you completely depend on your inspiration like an artist,without any analysis?
Ma Yansong:Well,i’ll give you an example,once there was a study where a researcher invited many people to use a toilet together and he recorded their movements in the toilet.He fond that the maximum borderline of the space they used was not exactly the original square borders of the toilet.So if we consider maximizing space as the rule,we would choose the square box.This is an outcome of the industrial revolution;if we consider people’s physical and psychological feelings,the experiment i mentioned before can tell us something.Though it may be a strange or unusually shaped space,everyone will use it,even if it is smaller,and it will give users certain illuminations as well as an impact on their spirit.

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