First project in South America. Qondesa by MAD Architects

MAD Architects studio, directed by Ma Yansong, joins a collection of international architects who are starting to work in Quito city, presenting their first mixed-use project under the name "Qondesa" in the capital of Ecuador, Quito, located in the Guayllabambauna river basin, at an altitude of 2,850 m., on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountain range.

"...Although the architecture seems to remind more of the proposals of the city of Miami, than those of Ecuador..."

The project intends to become the tallest building in a city of coexisting contrasts influenced by its diverse ecosystems, ethnicities, and traditions, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring the best preserved and least altered historic downtown in the Americas. from the south.

Qondesa by MAD Architects. Rendering by Mir.

The proposal designed by MAD Architects, located near the neighboring Iñaquito metro station, seeks to integrate with nature in a high-density area (although this aspect alone is not the solution for a more sustainable world if it is not accompanied by complexity). and urban continuity), developing with an organic shape in the form of a twisted stem.

The exterior façade of Qondesa grows displaying vegetation from the flower boxes on its balconies, with a structure that emulates vines that intertwine around the building to taper at the top. The exterior shape of the building is folded back so as not to impede the arrival of natural light and views of the nearby buildings.

The color and texture of the façade are intended to recall the volcanic stone from the nearby volcano used in the stone facades of the historic buildings in the old town of Quito.

Qondesa by MAD Architects. Rendering by Plomp.

The tower is located in front of Parque La Carolina, a 67-hectare active green space in the heart of the city that connects all the residential, commercial, and leisure elements. The building has multiple facilities and common areas, which, as discussed in the presentation, is complemented by eco-efficient engineering, which incorporates sustainability parameters through the responsible consumption of resources and energy, as well as comprehensive waste management from its stage. of construction.

The proposed tower is part of Quito's new urban plan, which aims to create a more environmentally friendly city and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants.

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More information

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Architects

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MAD Architects. Lead architects.- Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano.

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Project team

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Jon Kontuly, Xie Peng, Horace Hou, Edwin Cho, Matthew McFetrick.

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Collaborators

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Tiffany Dahlen.

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Client

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Uribe Schwarzkopf.

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Dates

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2022 - Ongoing.

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Location

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Quito, Ecuador.

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Renderings

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Mir, Plomp.

Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano. MAD

mad is a Beijing-based architecture design office dedicated to creating innovative projects. Founded by Ma Yansong in 2004, MAD Architects is led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano. It is committed to developing futuristic, organic, technologically advanced designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature. With a vision for the city of the future based on the spiritual and emotional needs of residents, MAD endeavours to create a balance between humanity, the city, and the environment.

MAD's projects encompass urban planning, urban complexes, municipal buildings, museums, theatres, concert halls, and housing, as well as art and design. Their projects are located in China, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. In 2006, MAD won the design competition for the Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada. Through this, MAD became the first Chinese architecture firm to build a significant high-rise project abroad. In 2014, MAD was selected as the principal designer for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, USA, becoming the first China-based architecture firm to design an overseas cultural landmark. MAD’s signature cultural projects include Ordos Museum (2011, China), Harbin Opera House (2015, China), Tunnel of Light (2018, Japan), China Philharmonic Concert Hall (under construction), Yiwu Grand Theater (under construction), FENIX Museum of Migration in Rotterdam (under construction), Cloudscape of Haikou (2021, China), and Shenzhen Bay Culture Square (under construction). Other urban projects include the Clover House kindergarten (2015, Japan), Chaoyang Park Plaza (2017, China), China Entrepreneur Forum Conference Centre (2021, China), Jiaxing Train Station (under construction), Quzhou Sports Campus (under construction), and Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center (under construction), among others.

While practising architecture, MAD documents and discusses its reflections on architecture, culture, and arts through publications, architectural exhibitions, as well as academic lectures and presentations. MAD’s publications include Mad Dinner, Bright City, MA YANSONG: From (Global) Modernity to (Local) Tradition, Shanshui City, and MAD X. MAD has organized and participated in several contemporary art and design exhibitions, including MAD X, a solo exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in 2019; Shanshui City, at UCCA in 2014; Feelings are Facts, a spatial experience exhibition with artist Ólafur Eliasson at UCCA in 2010; and MAD in China, a solo exhibition at the Danish Architectural Center, Copenhagen in 2007. MAD has participated in significant exhibitions at several iterations of the Venice Architecture Biennale and Milan Design Week. MAD has also participated in exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Copenhagen), and MAXXI (Rome). An array of MAD’s architecture models have been acquired by the Centre Pompidou and M+ Museum (Hong Kong) as part of their permanent collections.

MAD has offices in Beijing (China), Jiaxing (China), Los Angeles (USA), and Rome (Italy).

Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano and Qun Dand.

MA YANSONG

Ma Yansong is a Beijing-born architect (1975) recognized as an important voice in a new generation of architects. He graduated from the Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Ma attended Yale University after receiving the American Institute of Architects Scholarship for Advanced Architecture Research in 2001 and holds a master's degree in Architecture from Yale.

He shares his knowledge as an adjunct professor at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Tsinghua University, and the University of Southern California. Ma Yansong's journey is a continuous narrative unfolding, exploring innovation and pushing the boundaries of what we perceive as the built environment.

Since the founding of MAD in 2004, his works in architecture and art have been widely published and exhibited. Ma Yansong was awarded the 2006 Architecture League Young Architects Award. In 2008 he was selected as one of the twenty most influential Young Architects today by ICON magazine and Fast Company named him one of the ten most creative people in architecture in 2009. In 2010 he became the first architect from China to receive a RIBA fellowship.

“I work with emotion and with the context. When I design a building, I close my eyes and feel as if I saw a virtual world which lays half way between the city, the nature and the land. It goes from large scale to small scale. Many things travel in front of my eyes; I feel them and try to find the way to express my feelings. The language I use is the least important of it all. It does not matter whether they are straight lines, curves... I only intend for people to feel the same or to find something unexpected” says Ma Yansong. “MAD is an attitude, a posture towards architecture, towards society. Through our work we want people to be inspired by a place through local nature, time and space”, he states.

Photograph by Daniel J.Allen

Published on: May 6, 2023

Cite: "First project in South America. Qondesa by MAD Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed

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