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Designer Ma Yansong's best-known project－Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada. [Iwan Baan/China Daily]

Acclaimed Chinese architect Ma Yansong launched his book Shanshui City at Beijing's Ullens Center for Contemporary Art last month, in an attempt to explain to the world his designs inspired by shan shui, a Chinese art style that is used to paint mountains and water.

In his book, Ma shows how he built on the concept with the help of images of his projects taken by renowned graphic designer Kenya Hara.

In shan shui, artists use brush and ink to portray natural scenery. For Ma, who is known for his futuristic designs, shan shui is not just mountains and water, but rather a modern interpretation of the Eastern spirit of nature.

"It's not about a particular style or shape, or the usage of natural elements. It's an experience of nature. If you feel comfortable with the breeze and the sunshine in the building, it is the feeling of shan shui," says Ma, 39, founder of MAD Architects.

In July, his firm was chosen as the lead designer for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago, due to "its innovative approach to design and the philosophy of connecting urban spaces to natural landscapes", making it the first Chinese architecture outfit to design an overseas cultural landmark.

Designer Ma Yansong's ongoing project in Beijing is an artful combination of architecture and natural landscape. [Iwan Baan/China Daily]

While details of the Lucas design have yet to be released to the public, Ma cites the Chaoyang Park Plaza in Beijing, as a recent major example of the shan shui approach. The project, which was launched in April, will cover more than 120,000 square meters of commercial and residential buildings in Beijing's central business district, located south of one of the city's largest parks.

Ma has designed towers of the buildings to resemble ridges and valleys that allow free flow of air. The project was given the "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" certification by US Green Building Council for the use of environmentally friendly technology.

But shan shui is not the same as the Western concept of "green" infrastructure, Ma says. "The green building is a technical concept. Shan shui is about the atmosphere between people and nature. It's spiritual. It's about the way you feel when you enter a building, if you feel comfortable or touched," Ma adds.

To create that feeling, the buildings are integrated with landscape elements. The two main towers are connected with a courtyard lobby. The sound of flowing water in the lobby adds to the feeling of a valley amid mountains. Terraces and courtyards on different floors are arranged to allow people to wander freely.

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