MAD' WONDERLAND pavilion brings Alice’s White Rabbit in Beijing

MAD Architects’s WONDERLAND pavilion in Beiijng.

MAD Architects presents the Wonderland pavilion, a temporary inflatable installation with floppy bunny ears located in an old Hutong near the Lama Temple. Hutongs are Beijing’s historical neighborhoods with characteristic low-rise grey-bricked courtyard-houses blocks.

Inspired by Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland, the pavilion has a playful imprint. Indeed, it works as a playground by providing a lively public space where kids living in the area can stop by after school to socialize and interact with one another.

“Through the form of a rabbit, Wonderland brings a carefree spirit and sense of whimsy to this old Beijing neighborhood. Its playful attitude provides an escape from reality.” Say at MAD Architects. The 6.5-square-metre inflatable white structure features two lop ears protruding at a jaunty angle. At night, the interior of the structure is illuminated with a white light providing a safe environment for children to socialise.

“Surrounded by its soft walls, under the blue sky and green trees, children can play, daydream and drift off into their own fantasy wonderland, in pursuit of happiness”. The Wonderland pavilion tunes with Harmony with Nature, the human-based main theme of Beijing Design Week, the annual event showcasing the best of Chinese design.

MAD Architects is a Beijing-based international firm working on projects of all scales, from bespoke furniture to skyscrapers, opera houses and flamboyant hotels. Recently the studio completed an eclectic and low-cost kindergarten in Japan featuring a white asphalt shingles over the original wooden structure and a slide from which the kids can leave school.