MAD’s Beijing Chaoyang Park Plaza breaks ground. It is a realization of the concept “Shanshui City” and the project pushes the boundary of the urbanization process by creating a dialogue between artificial scenery and natural landscapes. The Plaza development is located in the central business district of Beijing and due to its proximity to the park it will highly impact the skyline of this metropolis.

A pair of asymmetrical towers creates a dramatic skyline in front of the park. Ridges and valleys define the shape of the exterior glass facade, as if the natural forces of erosion wore down the tower into a few thin lines. Flowing down the facade, the lines emphasize the smoothness of the towers and its verticality. The internal ventilation and filtration system of the ridges draw a natural breeze indoors, which not only improves the interior space but also creates an energy efficient system.

Landscape elements are injected into the interiors of the towers to augment the feeling of nature within an urban framework. The two towers are connected by a tall courtyard lobby with a ceiling height of up to 17 meters. The site and sounds of flowing water make the entire lobby feel like a natural scene from a mountain valley. At the top of the towers, multi-level terraces shaped by the curving forms of the towers are public gardens where people can gaze out over the entire city and look down at the valley scene created by the lower buildings on the site.

Located to the South of the towers, four office buildings are shaped like river stones that have been eroded over a long period. Smooth, round, and each with its own features, they are delicately arranged to allow each other space while also forming an organic whole. Adjacent to the office buildings are two multi-level residential buildings in the Southwest area of the compound. These buildings continue the ‘mid-air courtyard concept, and provide all who live here with the freedom of wandering through a mountain forest.

The project was awarded the “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)”Gold certificate. By exploring the symbiotic relationship between modern urban architecture and natural environment, Chaoyang Park Plaza revives the harmonious co-existence between urban life and nature.