The construction of the first phase of a residential complex designed by MAD Architects in the Huanshan Mountains in Anhui Province of China has been completed.
Related: Bureau MAD: Beijing's urban mountains
In accordance with the accepted masterplan, the beautiful highlands on the shores of Lake Taiping should turn into a resort area with residential buildings, a hotel, and office buildings. So far, in the so-called “Mountain Village of Huanshan”, only the first 10 objects have been completed, occupying an area of just under 70,000 square meters. In total, it is planned to build up more than 613,000 square meters of territory.
MAD has completed "Huangshan Mountain Village" in Huangshan, China. A site known for its rich verdant scenery and distinct granite peaks, it is home to one of the country's most beautiful mountains. Organized in a linked configuration across the southern slope of Taiping Lake, MAD's design has been composed in deference to the local topography, and conceived to ensure the original mountain levels are maintained. In its completion, the scheme establishes a new type of vertical village landscape: one where architecture becomes nature, and nature dissolves into architecture. #MADarchitects #MaYansong
A post shared by MAD Architects (@madarchitects) on Nov 13, 2017 at 5:24am PST
Freely scattered on the slopes overgrown with trees, high and low hulls are assembled into a single structure with the help of tracks and passages. They have a multi-layered, curvilinear form that literally imitates slopes, granite peaks and terraces of tea plantations. The buildings are so inscribed in relief that they become an integral part of it, without losing modernity and sharp individuality — such is architecture of augmented reality. The infinitely varied curves of the balconies and the continuous glazing on each floor create unique interior spaces for each of the apartments, and provoke maximum interaction, a constant dialogue with nature.
The head of the bureau, Ma Yansun, continues to demonstrate the capabilities of his Shanshui City concept (the name “Shan-Shui City” is borrowed from the traditional genre of Chinese painting, famous for its exquisite, poetic images of mountains and ponds). Instead of imitating natural forms and today's mimicry, the architect proposes to create platforms for the interaction of two worlds and thereby brings the relationship between natural and man-made to a completely different, very high level, based on mutual respect and strong emotions. “Residents will not just enjoy the views opening from the balconies, they must turn inward and build their own relations with the environment,” Yansun is sure.
