October 31, 2024
One River North is Denver’s New Nod to Biophilia
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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