MAD's landmark tower proposal seeks to reconnect melbourne citizens with nature

MAD architects has revealed its proposal for the ‘southbank by beulah’ tower competition. in contrast to melbourne’s typical glass, box-like buildings, MAD’s design incorporates forms that resemble mountains, trees, and clouds in an attempt to reconnect citizens with nature. the proposal is competing against entries from other high-profile firms, including BIG, coop himmelb(l)au, MVRDV, OMA, and UNStudio with the result to be announced on august 8, 2018.

the design incorporates forms that resemble mountains, trees, and clouds

the competition brief, drawn up by developers beulah international, called for a vast, mixed-use building to be built at the heart of melbourne. located at the corner of city road and southbank boulevard, the site is surrounded by a number of other towers. ‘carefully studying the tower’s site and composition, we propose a one-tower strategy to avoid over-crowding, provide the surrounding high-rises with open sightlines, and maximize views from the residential and hotel programs on the upper floors,’ explains MAD.

the scheme seeks to reconnect citizens with nature

at street level, the design seeks to engage with its context through an inviting plaza landscape that integrates urban activation spaces. ‘conceived as a series of small, green foothills that lead pedestrians up to the ‘mountain village’, our scheme links the groundplane to the building,’ says the design team. above, at podium level, the typical massing of a retail space is broken down with lush urban spaces stacked vertically.

‘the cloud’ is a cantilevered structure that houses the public amenities for the hotel

from here, the tower grows up out of the village like a tree. clad in transparent glass, the 360-meter-tall skyscraper features a glulam façade structure that mimics the appearance of roots twisting upwards. at its peak, ‘the cloud’ forms a cantilever that houses the public amenities for the hotel (lobby, restaurant, bar, and observation deck), and offers panoramic views across the city.

green foothills lead pedestrians up to the ‘mountain village’

composed of an ETFE membrane façade, ‘the cloud’ is lightweight and features varying degrees of transparency. towards the edges, it becomes translucent, emulating the appearance of a real cloud. ‘we bring nature into the urban context, by remodeling the typical high-rises found in our cities,’ the architects explain. ‘materializing as a ‘mountain in the city’, our design establishes open connections between the interior and exterior spaces in the form of large terraces, gardens, and public art zones.’

see OMA’s competing entry for the ‘southbank by beulah’ tower competition here.

a plaza landscape integrates urban activation spaces

the one-tower strategy intends to avoid over-crowding

sky gardens are interspersed throughout the tower

the vast, mixed-use building would be built at the heart of melbourne

the 360-meter-tall skyscraper features a glulam façade structure | image by mir

the tower grows up out of the village like a tree | image by mir

the skyscraper illuminated at night

the results of the competition will be announced on august 8, 2018

project info:

name: southbank by beulah
location: melbourne, australia
date: 2018
typology: mixed-use commercial, cultural/arts, entertainment, hotel, office, residential
site area: 6,000 sqm
building area: 225,238 sqm
building height: 360m

principal partners in charge: ma yansong, dang qun, yosuke hayano
associate partner in charge: tiffany dahlen
design team: li cunhao, sun shouquan, marco gastoldi, jennifer perez-rojas, wang xinyi, thoufeeq ahamed, lei lei, jaime cadarso, reinier simons