Architecture

MAD moves mountains for nature-inspired Beijing development

MAD moves mountains for nature-inspired Beijing development
Beijing's Chaoyang Park Plaza project has been granted LEED Gold certification (a green building standard) and includes some sustainable design
Beijing's Chaoyang Park Plaza project has been granted LEED Gold certification (a green building standard) and includes some sustainable design 
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in Beijing's business district
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in Beijing's business district
The Chaoyang Park Plaza measures a total of 220,000 sq m (2,368,060 sq ft)
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza measures a total of 220,000 sq m (2,368,060 sq ft)
The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises a total of 10 buildings
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises a total of 10 buildings
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's twin towers rise to a maximum height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza's twin towers rise to a maximum height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall
Beijing's Chaoyang Park Plaza project has been granted LEED Gold certification (a green building standard) and includes some sustainable design
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Beijing's Chaoyang Park Plaza project has been granted LEED Gold certification (a green building standard) and includes some sustainable design 
The Chaoyang Park Plaza is another example of MAD Architects' penchant for drawing on eastern influences
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza is another example of MAD Architects' penchant for drawing on eastern influences 
"The overall environment is shaped by smooth, curved surfaces of black and white, creating a quiet and mysterious atmosphere," says MAD Architects
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"The overall environment is shaped by smooth, curved surfaces of black and white, creating a quiet and mysterious atmosphere," says MAD Architects
The Chaoyang Park Plaza has been awarded LEED Gold certification (a green building standard)
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza has been awarded LEED Gold certification (a green building standard)
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers sport vertical fins on their exterior glass facade that function as an energy-efficient ventilation and filtration system
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers sport vertical fins on their exterior glass facade that function as an energy-efficient ventilation and filtration system
The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises a total of 10 buildings
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises a total of 10 buildings
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
Rising to a height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall, the Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers have a remarkable design that's reminiscent of a couple of massive mountain peaks
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Rising to a height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall, the Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers have a remarkable design that's reminiscent of a couple of massive mountain peaks
The Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in Beijing's business district
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in Beijing's business district
Closeup of the Chaoyang Park Plaza's facade
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Closeup of the Chaoyang Park Plaza's facade
The Chaoyang Park Plaza measures a total of 220,000 sq m (2,368,060 sq ft)
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza measures a total of 220,000 sq m (2,368,060 sq ft)
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises 10 buidlings
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises 10 buidlings
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's twin towers rise to a maximum height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall
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The Chaoyang Park Plaza's twin towers rise to a maximum height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall
MAD also recently completed another high-profile nature-inspired Chinese project, the Huangshan Mountain Village, pictured
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MAD also recently completed another high-profile nature-inspired Chinese project, the Huangshan Mountain Village, pictured
The Huangshan Mountain Village is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site landscape
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The Huangshan Mountain Village is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site landscape
The Huangshan Mountain Village's cluster of residential buildings consist of apartments conceived as quiet retreats, each boasting an expansive balcony
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The Huangshan Mountain Village's cluster of residential buildings consist of apartments conceived as quiet retreats, each boasting an expansive balcony
The Huangshan Mountain Village's shape is informed by tea fields and no two buildings are identical
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The Huangshan Mountain Village's shape is informed by tea fields and no two buildings are identical
One of the Huangshan Mountain Village's balconies
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One of the Huangshan Mountain Village's balconies
The Huangshan Mountain Village is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site landscape
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The Huangshan Mountain Village is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site landscape
The Huangshan Mountain Village's shape is informed by tea fields and no two buildings are identical
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The Huangshan Mountain Village's shape is informed by tea fields and no two buildings are identical
The Huangshan Mountain Village's cluster of residential buildings consist of apartments conceived as quiet retreats
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The Huangshan Mountain Village's cluster of residential buildings consist of apartments conceived as quiet retreats
View gallery - 27 images

After several years in the making, MAD Architects has finally completed its large mixed-use development adjacent to a park in Beijing's central business district. The Chaoyang Park Plaza draws inspiration from Chinese paintings of nature and includes a pair of distinctive towers that are meant to resemble jutting mountain peaks.

The Chaoyang Park Plaza measures a total of 220,000 sq m (2,368,060 sq ft), spread over 10 buildings. It's the two office towers that are the main draw, though.

Rising to a maximum height of 142 m (465 ft)-tall, they are placed close together and joined by a shared glass atrium, likened to a drawstring by the firm. The surrounding smaller buildings, which include apartments and commercial space, are intended to bring to mind rocks that have eroded over a long period of time. Their placement looks random but has been carefully chosen to create a kind of open urban garden.

"The overall environment is shaped by smooth, curved surfaces of black and white, creating a quiet and mysterious atmosphere," says MAD. "It is one that evokes the emotion and aesthetic resonance of a traditional Chinese ink painting, creating a tranquil escape from the surrounding, bustling urban environment. The landscape that weaves itself in between the buildings incorporates pine trees, bamboo, rocks and ponds ─ all traditional Eastern landscape elements that imply a deeper connection between the architecture and classical space."

The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium
The Chaoyang Park Plaza's towers are joined by a glass atrium

The Chaoyang Park Plaza has been awarded LEED Gold certification (a green building standard) and the office towers sport vertical fins on their exterior glass facade that function as an energy-efficient ventilation and filtration system – the latter no doubt crucial in smoggy Beijing. At the base of the towers is a large pond that, according to the firm, helps lower the interior temperature in the summer.

MAD also recently completed another high-profile mountainous Chinese project that's inspired by nature, the Huangshan Mountain Village, which is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage protected landscape, as shown below.

The Huangshan Mountain Village is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site landscape
The Huangshan Mountain Village is designed to blend into the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site landscape

The cluster of residential buildings that make up the Huangshan Mountain Village comprise apartments conceived as quiet retreats, each with an expansive balcony. Their shape is informed by nearby tea fields and are meant to look like they were sculpted by the wind, so that no two are the same.

Source: MAD Architects

View gallery - 27 images
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