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Metropolis Editors, Natural Habitat, sustainability, sustainable architecture

METROPOLIS Introduces Natural Habitat, a Sustainable Homes Video Series

The series debuts with a tour of a tranquil upstate New York retreat designed with Passive House principles.

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An overhead view of One River North in the evening, with glowing terraces visible on each floor

October 31, 2024

One River North is Denver’s New Nod to Biophilia

MAD Architects inserted a four-story canyon of landscaped terraces into a slick mixed-use development.

By: Drew Limsky

Photography: Iwan Baan

When the slick surface of our modern world starts showing cracks, another world—fecund, curvaceous, enchanting—bursts out into the open. At least that’s the message of Denver’s One River North, a newly completed mixed-use project (residential and retail) that has taken its place as an instant icon built to inventive biophilic standards by MAD Architects, which was founded in 2014 and is based in Los Angeles, Rome, Jiaxing, and Beijing.

Housing 187 rental units, including 14 affordable housing, and 9,000 square feet of retail, One River North brandishes a showstopping feature: a four-story amenity space that clocks in at more than 13,000 square feet. Except “square feet” is not exactly the appropriate term to describe the 16-story building’s meandering, whimsical standout, a “canyon” that breaks open the tower’s glassy exterior to reveal a living work of abstract art composed of landscaped terraces and water features.

The flowing fault line, which vaguely takes the form of the Greek letter lambda, or a serpentine, upside-down T, takes its references from slot canyons and natural erosion. The fissure also obliterates the building’s corners on either side of its crossbow—and a chunk of the roofline. The effect of what’s absent—the negative space—is profoundly emotional.

A Four-Story Canyon

“To me, biophilic means a close relationship between humans and nature,” says Ma Yansong, MAD’s founder and principal partner. “We talk about this connection because we live in a man-made world. In industrial civilizations and modern architecture, the world was built around technology, materials, and functionality. Residential buildings were once described as ‘machines for living,’ with a focus on efficiency and function.”

If that philosophy would seem to leave humanity on the drawing room floor, One River North is an attempt to remedy that. At every turn, the canyon, which provides a superb view of the surrounding Rocky Mountains, is meant to remind residents of nature—and how one moves through it. “On several floors, residents have access to public amenities like gyms, clubhouses, and swimming pools, all linked to these outdoor spaces,” Yansong says. “They can also move between floors, hiking the trail up and down, naturally connecting the outdoor spaces and public amenities.” Along the way, residents experience environments that reflect Colorado’s biomes—from foothills to alpine plateaus. 

It’s as if storyboards for a proposed futuristic movie—something like Blade Runner by way of Avatar—had found their way onto the architect’s drafting table. “It’s about creating these imaginary scenes,” he says. “I create architecture as an experience, treating space as something inspired by nature, but also as a spiritual experience that allows people to imagine a world beyond nature.” 

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