Architecture studio MAD has designed a three-venue civic centre in the city of Jiaxing, China, that will be topped with a continuous roof that has the form of a tarpaulin being blown in the wind, according to the studio.
Located near the canals of the historic South Lake and alongside the city's largest park, the Jiaxing Civic Center will contain three buildings organised around a 6,000-square-metre lawn.
Top: the Jiaxing Civic Centre was designed by MAD. Above: the building will have an undulating roof
"A civic centre, first and foremost, must be a place that attracts people; a place where children, youth, seniors, and families are willing to come together on a daily and weekly basis," said MAD founder Ma Yansong.
"We have created an undulating ring to serve as a garden-like living room for the city: an embrace." The building is arranged around a large circular lawn
Covered by an undulating, continuous roof the buildings will contain the Science and Technology Museum, the Women and Children Activity Center and the Youth Activity Center
By placing the buildings under a continuous roof, the studio hopes to create a sense of unity and coherence while also enhancing its energy efficiency and avoiding the duplication of spaces.

"The project's floating roof forms a continuous skyline, like a tarp blown by the wind, bringing a soft sense of wrapping to the form," the studio explained.
"The organic flow of the lines throughout the project ech...