Urban architecture inspired by mountains, clouds and volcanoes | Ma Yansong

Visit TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized Talk recommendations and more.
Taking inspiration from nature, architect Ma Yansong designs breathtaking buildings that break free from the boxy symmetry of so many modern cities. His exuberant and graceful work -- from a pair of curvy skyscrapers that "dance" with each other to an opera house that looks like a snow-capped mountain -- shows us the beauty of architecture that defies norms.
Get TED Talks recommended just for you! Learn more at TED.com/signup.
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a Media Request here: media-requests.TED.com
Follow TED on Twitter: / tedtalks
Like TED on Facebook: / ted
Subscribe to our channel: / ted

[@jamesthomas1244]

This may sound weird but seeing his multidimensional aquarium brought tears to my eyes. It was such a kind and caring way of design. I love this guy. Edited to add: Elon should have contracted Yansong to design his cyber truck ;-)

[@user-xx7pg3vw9k]

JamesThomas Yeah, no joke. That thing is hideous.

[@bravomike4734]

Yeah the problem is Elon was looking for 100% efficiency and functionality. The chinese guy himself says that these boxy buildings may have been functional and efficient but they are hella ugly, repetitive and blocks out nature. Elon needed something that's repetitive , easy , functional and efficient on resources to build.

[@k.3004]

Cars are not buildings they really have to be efficient (ex. aerodynamic). Also if you want a fish happy you would give it natural elements that it can interact with: aquatic plants, natural substrate, running water.

[@vernonhunter4654]

The World needs more people like him

[@darkkhof]

Vernon Hunter only true architects do what he do whom only work with nature not against it

[@hem7483]

For someone who is studying architecture, this talk was extremely inspiring and full of hope! Thank you for providing us such great quality content, TED :-))

[@tariqmajumder2400]

exactly me thought....it is so informative... such a great way of thinking

[@heminapatel3681]

I completely agree! we need more inspiring talks in the topic of architecture, which would help motivate the creativity we don't necessarily get from uni!

[@xw591]

Good luck! We need more out of the box thinkers!

[@CUBETechie]

I have finished my apprenticeship as metalworker now because of health issues im looking for something new I want to learn everything about 3d printing

[@phonzy]

Mr.Yansong, you have created masterpieces and your buildings are beautiful

[@nehcooahnait7827]

*Mr. Ma...

[@phonzy]

@@nehcooahnait7827 In the Matrix trilogy, what was Neo aka Mr. Anderson's first name?

[@phoebesmith3935]

@@phonzy Thomas. Why?

[@key_sii_]

Ma is a very poetic architect. He writes poetry and sings songs for nature with his design. Love his work so much!

[@dreadbaron10]

I think the way to test if the fish like the tank would be to connect the custom tank to the standard square one and see which tank they spend more time in.

[@klaycoco]

yeah, he should run a little scientific experiment with it

[@onlywithbuts1781]

This guy claims to be architect? That is too humble He is an actual artist!

[@curiousgal243]

Only With Buts architect is actually better than artist omg😂

[@pezjerk6334]

he copy's and pastes mountain design into buildings

[@bahamut149]

Architect are better than an artist because building like that will have tons of technical issues.

[@curiousgal243]

Art is purely look. Architect is art + science + function + practicality

[@darkkhof]

What is your definition of architect?

[@tomkot]

One day in the future we will look back on "modern architecture" (soulless boxes) as a mistake

[@MelliaBoomBot]

Amazing, when I started my Sociology degree in 1993 I remember reading in my first text book (Sociology Giddens) about Native Americans and how Teepees because of their angles, made for better perception. Interesting to hear this lovely man so many years later, beautiful buildings and kind to fish.

[@jasonlajoie]

Thank you Ma Yansong. We need all architecture to follow our natural world.

[@andreamelissamorales1387]

So grateful he's taken his creative energy and put it out into the world!

[@pfeyer]

Ma and Bjarke are the best architects of our times and their works will influence the future architecture. Thank you both for your work and vision! 🙏

[@javierpacheco8234]

Im going to be next in the future. Mark my words.

[@cashkaval]

That's some awesome star trek design there.

[@StephanieElizabethMann]

Beautifully and serenely encapsulating the footprint of our life within the grandeur of the environment.

[@Future_Pheonix]

My country is filled with ugly, cheap, "practical" buildings that legitimately make me depressed to go outside. I already have depression as it is, so it's not helping. So I've been thinking a lot about why architecture doesn't seem to take the human "spirit" into account and how our mood, moral and motivation can be easily affected by our surroundings. We need beautiful and interesting buildings/structures and nature all around us and within our modern cities and neighborhoods just as much as we need them to be practical, and it doesn't have to be a contradiction. A happy, inspired person is less depressed and more productive. More motivated and compassionate and creative. Our brains need more than just practicality, and I think it should be considered just as crucial, basic and necessary. The atmosphere surrounding us can change us and the world we live in. That's why I've been hoping for architects like him to appear (although I still wish for more color as well. I'm sick of white and gray, which my country is full of). Keep up the good work. I hope you keep designing buildings all around the world and inspire many others after you.

[@user-eo4yj3gs9z]

Not only your country. whole world.since Industrial age

[@rehannoon8709]

If you don't mind me asking, what country do you live in?

[@nivron1606]

Super loving this concept of designing "with nature". I wish all cities and buildings were built that way! Big thumbs up for great design and ideas! P.S. the buildings are among the greatest I've ever seen! they fit with nature beautifully!

[@jin_9707]

Its totally inspiring TED! Thanks for uploading!

[@pongop]

Amazing and inspiring vision and work! I want to see Nature and green everywhere!

[@haneenfeng3062]

I was waiting for this 🙌 so amazing, creative and such a great inspiration 💕

[@clsaloha1100]

Loved this! Beautiful buildings. Completely inspiring.

[@ideoformsun5806]

I love his designs. Very beautiful and inspiring.

[@nanigirl78]

Love this👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾He has such an awesome perspective to merge architecture with nature!!!

[@sjenner76]

Wonderful to see a unique and refined Chinese approach to architecture. High time this culture reassured a true architectural voice.

[@aliciabrillante]

The volcano building and opera house were my favorites!!! They blended in so well I could hardly find the structure of them.

[@ayselveliyeva5126]

I really liked his speech which gave me useful informations about architecture.And l reckon he is a perfect artist

[@andrewj1754]

I wish this mindset existed 20 years ago when I was deciding my career. I wanted to do architecture, but was struggling with inspiration. What a great talk.

[@gagi6294]

Still not late for you. Follow your passion, what else is there to do? :)

[@joen7526]

This was amazing, great work!

[@mediocrebanters]

Inspiring designs. Quite a union of the natural forms, landscape and functionality.

[@MsOceanstar]

Wow, Such inspiration! 👍❤️

[@CarolineSkoglund1]

this inspired me to finish my portfolio to apply to architecture school. this is amazing

[@shaliah6827]

Watching this video filled me with love and hope and inspired me to continue chasing my dream....🥰💖

[@leightaylor806]

Seriously beautiful

[@sunwe1032]

Thank you for your initiative. One day we can combine ourself with the nature again.

[@jayforoughi2447]

I love the organic shapes being used on these exteriors, and the dedication to avoid cookie-cutter designs or reusing designs. I'm curious about the specific materials being used in these buildings, how they intersect with green building.

[@MrDballiance]

wonderful concept..philosophy few words in explaining - message loud and clear...hard divine work is eye opener to all architects at all level

[@Altcoinengineer]

Perfect! Amazing and respect him architecture

[@monikamanandhar7606]

Thank you so much ....😊😊😊😊

[@nguyen3545]

Every architect should watch this

[@metaphor239]

This is great. This is TED worthy

[@Lunareon]

Truly an inspiring talk! I wish all building projects could be done this way, making the buildings fit the landscape instead of forcing the landscape to accommodate the buildings. There are currently several major building projects going on in my city, and instead of trying to blend them into the beautiful surrounding nature, they are blasting away all the rocks, cutting down the trees, and flattening the ground, covering everything with asphalt, gravel and perfectly square tiles. And all the new buildings are identical glass cubes that keep reaching higher and higher, menacingly looming over the tiny passersby like giant monsters. It makes me so sad.

[@Rezin_8]

Beautiful work....

[@mouadkrikbou4596]

this is veeery beautiful , i am deeply interested in art and beauty , and always found the cubics architecture entities deprived from soul ,and as i merge them with nature they are brought to life , i ve seen some buildings only with conrete ,no coating color which i found veery beautiful as well !!

[@user-gw7po8tu2l]

Currently, it is critically important to live in harmony with nature. p.s. I wanted to visit China

[@Mission-wk2br]

You're a Great Artist

[@MOJO-IV]

You can tell he is a master architect just from locking it his back

[@harry2go]

Impressive...tnx for deep inspire

[@michaelliang3029]

Well done, and may MAD be more popular in the world.

[@riadheddine1838]

Great architect, good luck sir, you're the best.

[@Andrea-ud9lp]

wow this is so amazing

[@andthegirllives]

Now I know why there are weird buildings. We need more architects like him. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@dru4670]

Beautiful buildings

[@dimitristsekeris1821]

Many architects are fascinating but few architects are pure like him.

[@sarahx87]

beautiful design

[@oer4785]

We need the cities to look more like this, and the cars to look more like the Cybertruck

[@dalanium98]

would love to live in a city designed by him and his team

[@ankHank-fs1zr]

Absolutely Human and Nature intertwine !

[@jewishfan]

Good talk, interesting perspective on architecture.

[@kaveeshanxinzhe2624]

legend .... hats off

[@ryanzacsanders]

well thought through

[@whereeveritgoes]

Reminds me of The Shire. Their design is one with nature.

[@RefurbishedPrototype]

I feel like my life started after watching my first TED talk.

[@gloriaborger11]

*_Ok Boomer_*

[@RefurbishedPrototype]

@The Muckler Then what are you doing here?

[@RefurbishedPrototype]

@The Muckler Clever.

[@RefurbishedPrototype]

@The Muckler What else?

[@dansshade5621]

Finally, TED as it used to be. Thanks!

[@eve6631]

Amazing good work!

[@EduArchs]

Wow, very nice presentation

[@00i0ii0]

amazing

[@sueli1967]

20年前，青岛的东部刚刚建成，优美的海岸线，高度和密度适合的建筑，我感到非常享受，有一天我看到市政府的门口矗立着一个未来的规划图，填满了高层建筑，令我感到无比绝望，20年后的今天，青岛东部果真变得高楼林立，拥挤不堪，海岸线下午2:00以后，那些阳光地带全都被阴影吞噬了，我不得不离开这座城市，离开我的家园，我是多么热爱这个气候温和，优美，物产丰富，历史悠久的城市，我真的痛心不已

[@DIYSolarandWind]

Awesome

[@TheAcc7080]

great designing

[@mothmaster6439]

I love the aesthetics and function designed to complement nature, but I especially love the literal incorporation of nature- habitats in a human habitat. Its best to not build in the first place but building is obviously needed and this ethos is a far better alternative to the status quo

[@pavanyaragudi]

He is gaudí of the modern world..!! ✨

[@javierpacheco8234]

I think guadi is much better becuase there is ornament and variety of color.

[@TheSuitedTruckDriver]

Hi, great city with beautiful buildings! Hopefully i will be able to forfill my entrepreneurs dreams in the future and drive to Bejing in my business Truck! (Being developed as we speak!) keep up the good work.

[@zebraimage]

Where are you right now? I used to drive from Paris to Beijing 10 years ago and it was a great fun.

[@TheSuitedTruckDriver]

Wei thats cool! My truck is n the making. Finished next year spring.. approx! Trip Sounds like... a Challenge! Thx

[@zebraimage]

@@TheSuitedTruckDriver Just read the Description on your page. Fascinating! I wish you good luck

[@TheSuitedTruckDriver]

Wei thanks, i will create updates and show the world our ambition on (truck) wheels!

[@joeannagalera9746]

Claiming it... Future Architect🏡

[@binhbui6442]

He changed my mind :))

[@ZuluagaLaura]

Wowww Amazing we need more people like him!

[@chauntentori]

Great!

[@sweetwillow028_]

In love with what he said...soulless match boxes and this reminded me of- the straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God.

[@hitoshiyamauchi]

Nice looking. I have a few questions: 1. are they sustainable like nature? 2. are these buildings only for rich (always big capital needed)? These are questions about what his nature means: Is his nature defined by the outlook (nice looking)? Or does his nature include function/sustainability/changing/life..? He started a fish story, so I hope his concept about nature covers the latter. I hope there is a follow-up talk.

[@SeeNickView]

Good point. There are some grounds to cover yet between the real and the ideal. At this point though an engineer would have to carry the conversation

[@bahamut149]

I would love to have a follow-up talk when practicing I find myself keep going back to cubicle shape because how efficient it's. From maintain to cost to produce and it's far easier to find interiors.

[@CamNguyen-we1ep]

Very inspiring, however, be careful not misleading what he is trying to say. Architecture is not just about how it looks outside but how you feel comfortable and productive while living inside as an average urbaner spends 80% of the time indoor. We should have more buildings like his but not all buildings should be like his. The most valuable lesson here is his fish tank design. Incredible vision!

[@darkkhof]

Me as an architect and a concepts designer my aims and target not to do typical designs but only a unique shapes things than never been designed and be a generator for new idea for future architects

[@MJ-qh5iy]

He reminds me so much of Howard Roark from the book ‘The Fountainhead’. More power to such visionaries!

[@samuelzev4076]

Box and rectangular-shaped buildings are commonly used n architecture because they are standard designs but it's also a visual representation of man's attempt to create order and control in nature, which is chaotic and random, so a more nature-inspired building does create a better sense of unity with nature

[@evaedernzewi8881]

gut gut gut !!!

[@vsrt1214]

Man its incrediable!! Absolutely gorgeus! Are you a Howard Roark from The Fountainhead?)

[@tamar5377]

I aspire to design like him, and be like him

[@elliotalderson4884]

I like The Mad architects Work and the Harbin opera really is a masterpiece, but these are still not fully sustainable buildings, the ambient impact is still big, they still use a huge source of water, electricity and harmful resources to construct this, I hope one day Mr. Yansong's work can be fully sustainable and still preserving the beauty of its design.

[@yesid17]

!!!!!!!!!!! YES

[@TheAnimationers]

So talented. I also hate those cheap and ugly looking same squared buildings. His buildings have respect for the surrounding environment and landscape. This was pure art.

[@mentorman6285]

One of the many reasons I want to visit China They bring purpose to their design . . .

[@sujandangi]

Reminds me of the Zaha Hadid. The curvy, bold and beautiful designs. I like how it breaks the monotony of current skylines...

[@yulongjin8108]

He was working for Hadid, you can say he is the student of her

[@alsavery9306]

That's marvelous but I bet there are real engineering innovations behind the scene (like better computer simulation or better building material perhaps) that makes this now possible. It's not that people in the past love and prefer the box-type building but because they are practical (save money) and more importantly they are structurally safe. You don't want to invest millions of dollars in building a building that can collapse and kill a lot of people. What the artist can imagine requires an engineer to make possible. One day you will see a floating city in the sky and you asked why people in the past never thought of that before... Ah, yeah, that's because it's technologically impossible to do it before. Before the artist can be a revolutionary, you need a revolutionary engineer.

[@FedJimSmith]

zoldyck residence comes to my mind

[@thomasc7992]

加油 马工！

[@hosoiarchives4858]

4:26 4:54 5:35 7:00 7:58 8:50

[@Lypno]

Architecture should inspire itself from nature and the vernacular.

[@edmondjiang5286]

赞一个

[@CUBETechie]

How can we reduce city's heating island 🤔 The mountain building are interesting but can the fasade use Photovoltaic panels ?🤔 10:42 it looks interesting and beautiful 😍 11:24 but is it possible to use a design of a stadium but built apartments inside 🤔 and a courtyard Now I'm also very interested about something similar in Saudi-Arabia

[@Dev1nci]

5:27 standard architect’s response. However in his case he is right 👌😁

[@Stallnig]

Definitely all visual marvels of design. As for skyscrapers, I find the concept itself grotesque from a housing and population perspective, so no matter what shape, they will always disgust me.

[@a_f_anabela]

So great to come back to organic architecture as did Frank Lloyd Wright!

[@zzz8888]

The fishes in the second tank would be like, “where the heck are we? I can’t find my way.”