A study of the Chinese and French influences on the design of the Maison de la Chine.

In 2023, the new Maison de la Chine was opened as part of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris (CIUP), the French capital’s famous campus of student residencies founded in 1925. Designed by Beijing-based Atelier Feichang Jianzhu (Atelier FCJZ) and realized in collaboration with the French architecture firm Coldefy, the building continues the tradition of national pavilions within the CIUP. The Maison de la Chine’s design bears the DNA of traditional Chinese architecture, yet Atelier FCJZ also clearly acknowledges its inspiration from Le Corbusier.

Maison de la Chine documents the building and its design process in rich detail through sketches, drawings, plans, and photographs. Architectural historian and curator Martino Stierli places the Maison de la Chine in the context of the evolution of contemporary Chinese architecture. Founding partner Yung Ho Chang and project architect Yishi Cheng, both of Atelier FCJZ, discuss conceptual and technical aspects of the design. The volume is completed by American critic Ariel Genadt, whose essay relates the building to the site’s extraordinary history and the culture within which it was created.