MAD Architects Conjures “Living Garden” Pavilion With the Help of Solar Energy

What does the future portend for the home? A group of 10 international architecture firms each paired with a forward-thinking manufacturer to entertain that enquiry in “China House Vision,” an exhibition assembled last fall in Beijing. MAD Architects collaborated with Hanergy, a provider of solar-energy equipment, to conjure Living Garden, a 2,200-square-foot open-sided pavilion that dismantled spatial boundaries, creating what the firm describes as “an architectural landscape” for en plein air, or outdoor, living.

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An open grid of bamboo and steel formed the undulating roof, its apertures fitted with panels of clear glass. Across the floor, timber planks established a path to the patio—or was that the living room? But green wasn’t just confined to the red oak and bamboo trees soaring inside. A system of solar panels strategically placed above the roof would harness enough sunlight to meet the daily electrical consumption of a family of three.

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