MAD Architects has created a thought-provoking vision for the future of LA's residential architecture in the form of a vertical-living, high-density urban village concept dubbed Cloud Corridor.
The Cloud Corridor concept seeks to address LA's urban sprawl by focusing on building vertically, rather than horizontally. This is not a new idea by any means, but MAD takes it further by connecting the cluster of towers with sky-high corridors, thus enabling residents to move between buildings without being required to descend to ground level. The skyscrapers would be covered in greenery and boast public areas, multiple viewing platforms, and generous garden spaces.
The philosophy underpinning Cloud Corridor (and this is about philosophy, not detail) sees MAD founder Ma Yansong drawing on Chinese scientist Qian Xuesen's Shanshui City concept, which encompasses a return to nature and the individual's emotional response to the surrounding world. A similar design language can be found in MAD's ongoing Chaoyang Park Plaza project in Beijing.
MAD is one of several firms to plot the path that LA's residential architecture may be headed in the not-too-distant future in exhibition entitled Shelter: Rethinking How We Live in Los Angeles, which is currently underway at the city's A+D Museum.
If you'd like to check out the Cloud Corridor proposal, complete with scale model, it is installed in the A+D Museum until November 6. Another five concepts also feature in the exhibition.
Sources: MAD, A+D Museum via Arch Daily
