MAD made the ecological skyscraper design Urban Forest in Chongqing, China. The project breaks down the old typology of skyscraper and twists the building with a dynamic rhythm. It brings nature back into the urban life via the floating gardens and forests. The non-linear design imitates the form the mountain and is inspired by the traditional Chinese mountain and water paintings. It tries to re-express the affection for nature in modern urban area through the ecological techniques and set a future model for urban landmark, which could be a living organism other than a complex of steel and concrete.

— Xuyun Liu

RESEARCH RESOURCES

“Urban Forest.” MAD architects.

http://www.i-mad.com/ennews_details.aspx?id=122#works_details?wtid=4&id=50.

This is a brief description of the project form MAD architects website. It reveals the background and the main theory for the design. It shows the main idea of the scheme is to express the affection for nature.

“Urban Forest by MAD.” 2009.  De Zeen Magazine. December 10. http://www.dezeen.com/2009/12/10/urban-forest-by-mad/.

The short introduction to the project from the web magazine includes a lot of images, orthographic drawings and diagrams, which help to show more information about the building, especially the structure system to support the floating vertical forests.

Wolf, Kathleen L. “THE URBAN FOREST.” Communities & Banking 24, no. 2 (Spring, 2013): 25-27. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315339732?accountid=14214.

This is a short article about the benefits and importance of “urban forest” in general meaning. Though the word “urban forest” is different from the project, the article could help to show the meaning of forests in urban areas, which may serve as a theoretical foundation for the design.