MAD Architects has broken ground on One River North, a sixteen-storey residential tower which features a descending nature trail carved into its façade. The project is set to "blur the lines between the built and natural environments" with more than 13,000 sq. ft. of open-air spaces, a water feature, and trail-like walkways, echoing Colorado's rich terrains. The project is expected to be complete towards the end of 2023.
The residential tower is located in Denver's River North District, and is the firm's third project in the United States and first residential rental project in North America. In addition to its unique fusion of architecture and landscape, the tower will offer 187 residences, a rooftop terrace featuring a pool, spa, and garden, and around 8,000 sq.ft. of ground-floor retail space.
One River North is the model for how we should be living, surrounding ourselves in the natural environment, bringing nature into our homes and creating authentic, biophilic experiences coupled with modern comforts and conveniences. The nature-inspired design by MAD Architects was influenced by Colorado’s legendary landforms and merges nature and architecture to inspire a well-balanced life. Its glass façade is likewise ribbed with louvers that regulate sunlight and soften its visual presence, shaping a serene retreat in the sky. -- Kevin Ratner, co-founder of The Max Collaborative.
The striking façade feature, which is inspired by Colorado’s diverse biomes and translates the experience of ascending from the foothills to the trail, carves through ten storeys, with four of these ten serving as a trail-like walkway. Ma Yansong, MAD Founder and Principal Partner, explains the need to design "canyons, woods, creeks, and waterfalls, transforming concrete forests into second nature, if we regard modern cities as man-made landscape on the earth".
The project is developed by The Max Collaborative and Uplands Real Estate Partners, members of the Ratner Family and Founders and Principals of Forest City Enterprises, in partnership with Wynne Yasmer Real Estate.
Earlier last month, MAD Architects unveiled "The Star", a new landmark that will foster culture, creativity, and inspiration in Los Angeles, California. Nestled in the heart of Hollywood, the Star's reflective architecture nods the neighborhood's glamorous characteristics and embeds nature within its structure with natural lighting, greenery, and workplaces that cater to the employees' mental and physical wellbeing.
