Urban forest, is a high commercial high-rise tower by MAD architects located in Chongqing, a major city in founder Yansong Ma’s home country of China. The proposal reiterate MAD’s design approach of syncing architecture with nature.
Aesthetically evocative on the mountainous landscape of the country, is made up of curved, abstracted shaped floors which have been layered slightly off-center from one another. Each level is afforded unaltered panoramic city views by the floor-to-ceiling glass, connected by a core cylindrical structure, which additionally conceals the core structure to deep within the space, each level’s interior is protected by full length glass windows with a see-through, wrap around balcony.
Courtesy of MAD Architects
As light enters the Urban Forest, it not only illuminates the spaces, but also becomes their visual structure, which provides transparency throughout the building, and makes the floors almost seem as if they are floating on top of one another. The extended floor plates form balconies which are infused with vegetation, courtyards, pools, and trees that serve as a connecting node for the urban form and environment, but the overall design brings together nature and the urban metropolis, with the incorporation of green space and large expansive views of the city.
Diagram
Credits:
Architects: MAD Ltd
Location: Chongqing, China
Typology: Commercial, Office, Hotel
Site Area: 7,700 sqm
Building Area: 216,000 sqm
Building Height: 385 m
Structural Design: ARUP Group Ltd
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.