MAD Architects Presents New Master-Plan for China
By Lucas on Jan 02, 2014
If you’ve been paying any attention to the Greater Toronto Area condo scene over the last few years, the name Ma Yansong is probably familiar to you. He is the innovative mind from MAD Architects behind Mississauga’s Absolute Towers (nicknamed Marilyn Monroe towers because of their sensual curves).
Recently, Jose Luis Gabriel Cruz of ArchDaily featured one of MAD’s recent proposals, which was presented by Yansong at the 2013 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in Shenzhen, China. The new project is called “Shanshui Experiment Complex” and it is designed for the city of Nanjing.
The 600,000 square meter master-plan is designed to be a perfect blend of culture, nature, and history. According to Yansong, the project “rethinks how we define the boundary between nature and the built urban environment. Is it possible to combine high-density city living with the atmosphere of nature?”
One way MAD is fusing this urban design with nature is with a network of natural public space that will weave between the mid-rise and high-rise buildings. Yansong has also abandoned the traditional box-like design for the buildings, replacing it with flowing, organic lines that will create a more natural looking skyline, says Cruz.
Yansong’s ability to design buildings with a more organic feel has already been proven with his work on Absolute Towers. Those two towers are world renowned and put downtown Mississauga on the map.
If MAD is successful with bringing their master-plan concept to life in China, maybe we’ll see them back in Canada one day, designing a community that’s a mix of our history, nature, and culture.
What do you think that would look like?All images via ArchDaily.com
