MAD Architects creates a translucent installation for the 2016 Milan Design Week in the traditional Cortile d’Onore courtyard of Università degli Studi di Milano. The installation is a part of the “Open Borders” exhibition, curated by the Italian magazine Interni. MAD’s contribution, entitled “Invisible Border”, alters the perception of space.

The installation represents a sculptural gesture that is inserted to break the balance of the Cortile d’Onore and at the same time establish a new shelter, between the façade and the courtyard, for people to engage in discussions or just contemplate the sky through the canopy. The result is an installation, inspired by natural flow of wind and water, which extends the physical and conceptual threshold of a boarder.

MAD’s installation is comprised of ETFE with a gradient color, the lightweight and flexibility of the polymer allows it to move with the wind and create a subtle whistling sound. The installation reflects the hues of the sky during the day, leaving glimpses of the columns and loggias. In the evening it becomes a luminous surface that brings the courtyard to live with new colors.

MAD’s installation is comprised of ETFE with a gradient color, the lightweight and flexibility of the polymer allows it to move with the wind and create a subtle whistling sound. The installation reflects the hues of the sky during the day, leaving glimpses of the columns and loggias. In the evening it becomes a luminous surface that brings the courtyard to live with new colors.

Design team: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Andrea D’Antrassi, Hiroki Fujino

Engineering: Maco Thecnology srl, Roberto Maffei

Light design: iGuzzini Illuminazione

Produced by: Ferrarelle

Material: P.A.T.I. ETFE polymer

Dimensions: 31m * 16m * 14m

Photographs by: Moreno Maggi