Photographer Khoo Guo Jie, of Studio Periphery, is giving us a sneak peek of MAD Architects’ Chaoyang Park Plaza project. Almost complete, it is located on the southern edge of Chaoyang Park, the largest park in Beijing, in the central business district. It is made up of a complex of 5 buildings, including a pair of asymmetric striated towers that reach 120 meters tall. The development contains commercial properties and office blocks plus residential accommodation.

The forms of the buildings echo natural landscapes

Inspired by the landscapes depicted in traditional Chinese shan-shui paintings, the concept was based on MAD founder Ma Yansong's "Shan Shui City" vision, with the park being the perfect location, and Nanhu Lake providing the water ("shui") to balance the "mountains" ("shan"). It takes inspiration from traditional Chinese landscape painting, proposing an artificial landscape.

Ma says the design creates a "future-high-density urban environment focused on people’s emotions: what they feel and what they see." The two skyscrapers have striated forms reminiscent of rock formations, and the additional four office blocks depict river stones. The two residential courtyard buildings represent "the freedom of wandering through a mountain forest. By transforming features of Chinese classical landscape painting, such as lakes, springs, forests, creeks, valleys, and stones, into modern 'city landscapes', the urban space creates a balance between high urban density and natural landscape," said the studio. "The forms of the buildings echo what is found in natural landscapes, and re-introduces nature to the urban realm."

To view more information on this project and others from MAD visit the website via the link below.

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