MAD Architecture: Green Futurism in China

I recently came across MAD ltd., an innovative, Beijing based "design office." From their "About" page:

MAD is a Beijing based design-office dedicated to innovation in architectural practice, landscape design, and urban planning. MAD develops its unique concept of futurism through a persistent investigation of the symbiotic potentials amid nature and technology. MAD inspires to design in close harmony in nature, offering people the freedom to develop urban experiences.

As always: good in principle, but questionable in practice. While the aesthetics of their projects do seem to harmonize with nature, the actual ecological impacts of their construction probably do not.

Some of their proposals are indeed mad. Not as mad as this however (no offense to Taitlin). Take for instance, their vision for Beijing 2050. One project, the "floating islands" above Beijing, seems impractical and fantastical. I like their explanation however. Justifying the concept, they argue:

The Central Business District in Beijing was built according to the Western vision of modernization created in the last century. Yet, as China begins to leapfrog the West in terms of development, this vision is increasingly irrelevant. Instead of simply imitating Western downtowns, we need to create a city centre for a new post-western, post-industrial society...The floating islands emphasize the economic trends of tomorrow: connectivity and interdependence.

Also, I especially like their proposal to transform the concrete slab of Tiananmen Square into a "People's Park". They explain:

We propose to turn the empty space into a forest. Trees and lush grass would grow out of the square. Cultural facilities would be placed underground to connect to a transportation network. Even the national theater would be hidden inside a soft landscape mountain. The political heart of the city would become the green heart, a vast forest for residents and tourists alike to enjoy. In 2050, Tiananmen Square would be the biggest green area in the center of Beijing.

Under the new design, the figurative relationship between Nature and Culture is seemingly inverted. Whereas we normally understand culture as a human artifice built on top of a Nature (the ground, the Earth), the new design of Tiananmen literally and figuratively places Nature above Culture. Culture is hidden away, allowing Nature to flourish on top of it.

Other notable projects and proposals are the Fake Hills, the Rebuilt World Trade Center (in NYC), and Chongqing mega-building.

I'm ambivalent about this design firm. On on hand, I agree with their vision and admire the boldness of their projects. On the other hand, many of their buildings--behind the Green label--are just mega-projects that are questionable in their ecological impact. To take a cynical position, perhaps because of China's addiction to mega-projects, it would be better if they pursued these mega-projects instead, which root their design principles in "harmony" with nature.