News: Chinese firm MAD has unveiled new images of Chaoyang Park Plaza – a complex of skyscrapers, office blocks and public spaces modelled on the mountains, hills and lakes depicted in Chinese landscape paintings – which is now under construction in Beijing.

Located on the southern edge of Chaoyang Park in Beijing's central business district, the 120,000-square-metre development will create a mix of commercial properties, office blocks and residential accommodation inspired by the landscapes depicted in traditional Chinese shan-shui paintings.

For the centre of the site, MAD has designed a pair of 120-metre skyscrapers with striated volumes intended to reference images of rock formations. These will be accompanied by four office blocks, modelled on depictions of river stones, and two residential courtyard buildings designed to recreate "the freedom of wandering through a mountain forest".

"By transforming features of Chinese classical landscape painting, such as lakes, springs, forests, creeks, valleys, and stones, into modern 'city landscapes', the urban space creates a balance between high urban density and natural landscape," said the studio. "The forms of the buildings echo what is found in natural landscapes, and re-introduces nature to the urban realm."

Chaoyang Park Plaza will become one of MAD's first built projects to demonstrate studio founder Ma Yansong's ongoing Shan-Shui City concept – an urban strategy named after the Chinese words for mountains and water.

The studio first presented the project in September 2013, following an exhibition of the Shan-Shui City proposals at the WUHAO store in Beijing at the start of the summer. Other projects developed around the theory include a mixed-use masterplan for Nanjing.

Read on for a statement from MAD:

MAD's Chaoyang Park Plaza Breaks Ground

As a recent realisation of the concept Shanshui City, Chaoyang Park Plaza has begun construction. It marks another milestone in one of the practices of MAD's design theory. This project pushes the boundary of the urbanisation process in modern cosmopolitan life by creating a dialogue between artificial scenery and natural landscapes.

Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in the central business district (CBD) of Beijing, and is composed of over 120,000 square metres of commercial, office, and residential buildings. The site is on the southern edge of Chaoyang Park, one of the largest public parks in Beijing. Its proximity to the park will not only create breathtaking views of the city, but will also highly impact the skyline of Beijing.

By transforming features of Chinese classical landscape painting, such as lakes, springs, forests, creeks, valleys, and stones, into modern "city landscapes", the urban space creates a balance between high urban density and natural landscape. The forms of the buildings echo what is found in natural landscapes, and re-introduces nature to the urban realm.

Like the tall mountain cliffs and river landscapes of China, 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 emphasise 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 metres. 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 overthe 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 U.S. Green Building Council. Its use of natural lighting, intelligent building, and air purification system make this project stand out from others being built today. The ideal of "nature" is not only embodied in the innovation of green technology, but also in the planning concept. This project transforms the traditional model of buildings in a modern city's central business district. By exploring the symbiotic relationship between modern urban architecture and natural environment, it revives the harmonious co-existence between urban life and nature. It creates a Shanshui city where people can share their individual emotions and a sense of belonging.

Location: Beijing, China
Type: Office, Commercial, Residential
Status: 2012-2016

Site Area: 30,763 sqm
Building Area: above ground 128,177 sqm, below ground 94,832 sqm
Building Height: 120 m

Directors in Charge: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Core Design Team: Zhao Wei, Kin Li, Liu Huiying, Lin Guomin, Bennet Hu Po-Kang, Julian Sattler, Nathan Kiatkulpiboone, Li Guangchong, Fu Changrui, Yang Jie, Zhu Jinglu, Younjin Park, Gustaaf Alfred Van Staveren

Client: Junhao Real Estate Beijing Jingfa Properties Co., Limited.
Construction Engineers: China Construction Design International Group Co., Ltd
Facade Design & Optimize Consultant: RFR
Landscape Design Consultant: Greentown Akin
Lighting Design Consultant: GD Lighting Design Co., Ltd