The architect of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Ma Yansong and its former director Sandra Jackson-Dumont introduced the project for the first time, and discussed how and why we shouldn’t have to separate architecture and nature when we build.

Since its founding in 2004, MAD Architects has practiced at apparent boundaries in architecture, constantly innovating to transcend or push them—making the studio an ideal partner for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, a cultural institution redefining the role of the museum to expand access to the visual arts.

Its architect, Ma Yansong, has led his renowned Beijing-based studio to reimagine the ‘landmark building’ in cities across the world, creating an architecture that softens the distinction between our built and natural environments, rather than stands apart.

Drawn from the trees that surround the sprawling site, the curving, organic form of the Lucas Museum building will arch above a central entrance space, inviting communities into its state-of-the-art galleries, and to gather beneath its canopies. Reinterpreting a relationship to nature found in ancient philosophies, through the use of cutting-edge construction technologies, the futuristic design aims to sustain a balance between local communities, their urban landscape, and the natural world. 

Expanding the practice’s audience through lectures, exhibitions and publications, Ma believes that extending conversations beyond the architecture profession is critical to constructive discourse, in order “to share diverse perspectives, inspire collective creativity, and collectively shape the future of our built environment.”